A Brothers War
by Unwritten Whispers
Summary: SEQUEL TO A WITCH IN LA! 2 years after her summer in LA, Hermione's in her 6th year. Draco is acting weird and Hermione's still wanted for dead but her friends are still protecting her, and Reid decides he wants a talk with his little brother in person! Hogwarts gets a new DADA assistant, and Faith decides she misses her Doll Face! -full summary inside!
1. A Broken Train Ride

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**The Covenant, Harry Potter, **_**or **_**Angel – **_**other people do; you know who they are(: also there will be some parts that are straight from the book and some parts that I switched up or just completely made up on my own. I don't have the patience to * every part that I copied so if you recognize anything, it doesn't belong to me... obviously(:**

**So this is the sequel to **_**A Witch In LA**_** and also the original story since the prequel was meant to only be a little quick one-shot. You don't have to read the first story to understand this one… but you might be a little confused so maybe you should – the first story is a background explanation of how Hermione met everyone, and how they learned a few things that this story seems to focus around(:**

**Full Summary: 2 years after meeting the Sons and the Angel gang, Hermione is in her 6th year at Hogwarts and they're all still suffering from the death of Sirius. Draco breaks up with her without an explanation and Reid and Spike start to ignore her letters until her birthday. Draco gets a taste of her witty, sharp tongue and the remarks that she learned while in LA, and the Death Eaters are still making Hermione their number one priority. Reid decides it's about time he confronts his little brother for being a git, and Faith is... girly? Ginny and Luna learn the truth, and soon Hogwarts will be turned upside down by the arrival of some… interesting specimens!**

A Broken Train Ride

Something was different about him; they all knew it. Lucius Malfoy was arrested and taken into custody by the Aurors after the incident at the Ministry, and now Draco was acting odd. Hermione was standing at the entrance of one of the empty compartments with Harry, Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Neville, and they all watched as the blonde walked past them. No longer walking like an imp with a bounce he quickly made his way past them, not bothering to look back. It looked as if the three months separation between fifth and sixth year changed him a lot. Albino white hair fell into his face, shielding the darkened quicksilver eyes from everyone who looked up at him. His already alabaster white skin was paler than usual and made him look almost sickly against the black oxford shirt and long black slacks he was wearing.

"Don't you have to go check all the compartments?" Ginny asked Hermione, noticing the older girl's lingering gaze on the compartment that Draco just disappeared into. Not wanting to catch the boys' suspicion as to what was happening, Ginny tried to grab Hermione's attention.

Looking over at her friend, Hermione saw mischief behind the vibrant ocean blue eyes while a freckled hand ran through cinnamon colored hair. "Erm…" looking over at the boys who were now watching her, Hermione nodded her head, "Yes, right. I shall get a start on that. Ron, why don't you check on the opposite side of the train?"

"But Hermione-" seeing the daring look in the honey colored eyes, Ron quickly jumped up. Scratching his nose with a freckled hand, red hair bounced as he nodded his head, "Sure. I'll get on that right now."

Once Ron was out of sight on the opposite side of the train, Hermione whispered a low, "Thanks Gin," to her best girlfriend, and ran straight towards Draco's compartment.

Sliding the door open, Hermione quickly shoved herself inside of it before shutting it, and looking around. Draco was alone with Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott. Staring at Blaise, Hermione could understand why Ginny was harboring a secret crush on the sixteen year old Slytherin; he was very attractive. The white t-shirt and long black pants looked almost exotic against the dark mocha color of Blaise while sleep filled his almost onyx colored eyes. His left eyebrow had a tiny slit of missing hair from a potions accident the year before, and his tiny black curls had been buzzed down over the summer time. Seeing the flirtatious indigo colored eyes staring back at her from across the compartment, Hermione rolled her eyes. It was no secret why Luna had been pining after the other third of Slytherins' playboys. The raven colored spikes messily stuck up in every direction; looking as if he literally just rolled out of bed right before boarding the train to Hogwarts. Dark blue jeans hung off the ivory thighs while a midnight blue colored silk shirt made his shoulders look broader. There was a hardness in his face that Hermione had never noticed before, and she finally realized that Theo was no longer a little boy. At sixteen years old, he had definitely grown up; no longer resembling a frightened little rabbit, but more so a hardened young man who had seen too many bad things happen.

Blaise opened his mouth to say something, but Draco beat him to it. "What the bloody hell are you doing in here, Granger?"

Granger? Hermione tried her best not to show the shock or hurt in her face, but she knew the lightness of her honey colored eyes would give her away. Forcing her mouth to open, Hermione spat out, "I am a prefect, _Malfoy_," noticing the way Draco cringed as she hissed out his name, Hermione continued, "I am doing my job. I need to check in every compartment to make sure everything is alright."

"Well as you can see, everything is fine," Draco snarled at her, "Now get out."

"Whoa Draco, mate," Blaise said, shocked at how his best friend was acting towards the confused Gryffindor. "No one else is around; it's just us. You don't have to act like you hate Hermione right now."

"It isn't an act," Draco coldly replied, feeling a twinge of guilt at the way Hermione's honey colored features turned ivory from his words. "Now get out of here, Mudblood, before I make you."

Refusing to let Draco see her tears fall, Hermione gripped tightly onto the door's handle. "I came in here to tell you happy six months, Malfoy, but I see I was mistaken. I don't know who's been fucking you up your arse over the holidays, but I surely hope it was worth it," then straightening the emerald green colored skirt she had been wearing to surprise Draco with, Hermione cleared her throat. "Blaise, Theo."

"Hermione," Theo nodded his head in an apologetic way to his friend.

"Wait!"

Hearing the shout coming from Draco's lips, Hermione turned back around to see what he wanted, "What?"

Draco looked at Hermione for the first time since seeing her today. She changed over the summer holidays. Taking in her hair, he smirked; she took his advice and tamed the uncontrollable curls. Now chestnut colored strands fell to the midsection of her back without a single frizz out of place. Draco noticed that Hermione was wearing the emerald earrings he gave to her right before they left Hogwarts last year. The white baby tee that she was wearing was tight enough for him to see the green bra she wore beneath it, and he gulped when he saw the honey flesh between her midriff and where the skirt began. It was tasteful, and not as short as other girls wore their skirts, but it was still short enough to show the length of her long legs, which led down to the crimson colored knee high socks she was wearing. He saw that her skirt was emerald colored as well. Hermione definitely made sure to wear his Slytherin colors for their six month anniversary.

"Well?" Hermione questioned, tapping her foot on the ground and folding her arms across her chest, knowing that it was pushing her breasts up more and allowing Draco a peek at the honey colored globes. "What is it?"

Shaking away any thoughts that he shouldn't be thinking, Draco glared at her. "I want the earrings back. Pansy's birthday is coming up, and they'll look lovely on her."

"Draco!" Blaise hissed.

Shaking his head, Theo glared at the Slytherin Prince. "What the bloody hell is wrong with you, Malfoy?"

Losing her inner battle, Hermione couldn't control the tears that fell freely from her eyes. Quickly taking the earrings out of her ears, she looked down at them one last time. Holding them in the palm of her hand, she looked up at Draco and saw his hand was out and waiting for it. "Here," not wanting to speak too much because her voice would give away how hurt she truly was, Hermione calmly handed them in his expecting hand.

Draco was stunned. He expected Hermione to fly the earrings at his head or even break them, not calmly hand them over. He was waiting for her to start shouting and trying to curse him, but instead she calmly agreed to give the earrings back. Seeing the silent tears that Hermione was trying to hide from him, Draco reached out and grabbed her wrist, forcing her to look back at him. For a moment he wanted to just pull her into his arms, but taking in a deep breath, Draco instead said, "Put on some bloody clothes eh, you look like a slag."

Hermione heard the gasps from the two Slytherins she'd learn to trust over the past six months, and a sound that closely resembled a whimper from her own mouth, but instead she yanked her wrist away from Draco's tight grip and flipped back her hair. "And to think," Hermione hissed at the blonde in a cold voice, "This could've been all yours."

"I already had that."

"And now, you won't," Hermione's voice was as chilling as his was, and her eyes just as deadly. "Now some other lucky bloke will get to see the other side of the _Mudblood-bookworm_!"

Blaise and Theo looked back and forth between each other and Draco. Neither of them could truly understand what just happened here. At the end of the school term last year, Draco was depressed at leaving Hermione behind. They remembered how it took them both, as well as Ginny and Luna, to hold him back in order to calm down when he learned that Hermione snuck out of Hogwarts with Harry them to go to the Ministry of Magic. When Hermione came back, Draco found her crying in one of the abandoned corridors. She was bleeding, scarred, and crying because she witnessed Sirius being killed by Bellatrix. After an hour of having to be calmed down, Draco held Hermione in his arms. He held onto her and promised her that she would be alright; he didn't even care that he was being watched by Ginny, Luna, Blaise, and Theo; all that mattered was that Hermione knew how much he loved her and how he would never leave her. Now Draco acted as if he still hated her. Blaise and Theo missed something important because they were both confused.

"Do you really think she'll allow some other bloke to see the other side of her?"

Turning their heads to where the broken sounding voice came from, Blaise and Theo were even more confused now. "You told her you hated her, called her a Mudblood and a slag, and asked for her earrings back because _Parkinson_ would look lovely in them," Blaise scoffed, "What the hell do you care what she does anymore?"

"I don't want to hurt her!" Draco shouted at his two friends, covering his face with his hands. "Do you think it was easy for me to say those things to her? Or to just ignore her tears? And that skirt," a low growl escaped his lips, "That bloody skirt; it should be illegal for her to wear that skirt outside the comfort of _my_ room."

Shaking his head, Theo shot Blaise a confused look then looked back at the depressed Draco, "Do you want to tell us what the hell that was all about then?" he asked, "Because Hermione sure as hell didn't seem to appreciate any of those things either."

Removing his hands from his face, Draco looked around out of paranoia. "I have to protect her," he whispered. Lifting up the sleeve of his shirt, Draco showed his two best friends the dark mark branded into his left forearm.

Sitting between Harry and Ron in the Great Hall, Hermione tried her hardest not to look up at the Slytherin table. She hadn't said a word since returning back to their compartment after the encounter with Draco. She was confused. They wrote each other over the holidays, and he constantly reminded her of how much he loved her, and how excited he was that their first day back to Hogwarts would be their sixth month anniversary. Her friends all asked her what was wrong and Ginny shared worried glances with Luna, but they both remained silent through it all as if they were mourning alongside her. Refusing to speak in fear that her voice would betray her and trigger more tears, Hermione leaned against one fist while pushing her food around with a fork.

"You have to eat something," Ginny told her. When Hermione shook her head, Ginny sighed and looked across the Great Hall. She glared at Draco when she saw him allowing Pansy to hang all over him. Draco wasn't even looking their way. Seeing Hermione starting to turn to see what she was glaring at, Ginny tried to stop her, "Her-"

Ron and Harry stopped talking over Hermione's shoulders when they heard the clattering of a fork. Looking down at Hermione they saw her looking back at something. "What is it Hermione?" Harry asked, turning to see what caused his best friend to drop her fork.

Seeing the familiar gaze of steel land on her, Hermione watched as Draco quickly pushed Pansy off of him. But it was too late. Hermione had already seen them together; nothing he did now could help her to un-see it. "I have to study," Hermione quickly jumped up.

"Classes haven't even started yet," Ron said, noticing the exchange between Hermione and their enemy.

Also noticing the exchange, Harry sighed. "Is everything alright Hermione?" he asked, gently pulling on her wrist to make her sit back down. "Did Malfoy do something to you?"

Looking back at Draco, Hermione saw an annoyed look on his face. Forcing herself to look away, she shook her head, "I'm fine."

Blaise and Theo were both watching Draco in disgust. It was to the point where they couldn't eat anything. Back in the train's compartment, Draco explained how he was now a Death Eater and how he had a mission from the Dark Lord. They understood why he broke up with Hermione, and although they wished he could have been more polite about it, they understood his reasoning's for wanting her to just hate him. But this was too low, even for a Malfoy. Instead of pushing Pansy off like he did for the last three months of school the year before, Draco allowed her to claw him up as if she were a cat in heat and he was the only thing available to her. Pushing their plates away from themselves, Blaise and Theo heard the loud cluttering sound from the Gryffindor table.

Turning around, Blaise shook his head, "She's watching."

Lifting his head in the one direction he had been trying his hardest to avoid, Draco saw the tears in Hermione's eyes as she stared at him and Pansy. "And?" he bit out.

"Maybe the filthy little Mudblood can learn a thing or two," Pansy sneered.

Throwing Pansy from his body, Draco held in the urge to hex her then kill her for saying such a thing about _his _Hermione, and chose to sneer at her instead. "Get some class, Parkinson."

"Mail doesn't usually come this late?" Theo stated in a questioning tone, watching as the large barn owl flew into the Great Hall, "Or on the first day of school."

"Shit!" only now remembering that this was supposed to be his six month anniversary with Hermione, Draco quickly jumped off of the bench.

Theo and Blaise followed their friend as he tried to make a hasty retreat out of the Great Hall, but they stopped when they saw the owl land in front of Hermione. "What did you do?" they both asked, stopping Draco and forcing him to watch Hermione open the large brown parcel.

Confused, Hermione grabbed the package. Feeling Ginny kick her foot, Hermione looked at where Ginny was nodding her head to, and saw Draco trying to escape while Blaise and Theo held onto him. Harry and Ron were both reaching over to open the parcel for her, causing her to jump up and spill juice all over her robes. Letting out a hiss of curse words, Hermione handed the package to Ginny so she could keep it away from the nosy boys, and she started to take off her robes.

Draco heard whistles throughout the Great Hall and stopped struggling against his so called two best friends. Looking over at the Gryffindor table, he saw Harry and Ron trying to cover Hermione with their robes while Ginny held in her amusement. Blushing, Hermione was slapping the hands away and trying to move out from between her two best friends. Draco's temperature rose when he saw that the stupid girl didn't change out of her outfit from the train, and because of the removal of her robes she was now showing skin that no one but him should be allowed to see. Growling as his grip on his wand tightened, Draco started walking towards the Gryffindor table, but he was held back by his two friends.

"Ginny and Hermione are walking this way," Theo whispered into Draco's ear.

"Oh great," Hermione began to nervously chew on her bottom lip while Ginny tugged her towards the doors. She watched as Theo and Blaise did the same with Draco; taking him away from her. "I don't want to have to see him, Gin."

"This is from him," Ginny told Hermione, shoving the parcel into her hands. "I recognize his tiny little seal on the back of it. Open it."

"Why?" Hermione whined wanting to stomp her feet, but knowing all eyes were on her at the moment she didn't. It isn't every day the frigid bookworm Hermione Granger dresses like this. "He'll just ask for it back so he can give it to _Parkinson_ for her bloody birthday."

"Hermione."

Slapping Blaise's head, Draco glared at him for calling to the witch he just wanted to ignore, "What the hell, Blaise?"

Groaning, Hermione allowed Ginny to drag her to where the three Slytherins seemed to be waiting for them. "Hullo Blaise," she grimly smiled, "Theo."

"Hermione," Theo smiled kindly. "Do you want to borrow my robes?"

Looking down at her outfit, Hermione shook her head. "No thanks. We're headed back to our common room."

"Hullo Ginerva," Blaise all but purred, causing Draco to scowl. His friend was forcing him to stand through this torture because he wanted a shag?

Flashing only a quick smile, Ginny waved, "Hullo Blaise, Theo."

"Hullo Ginny," Theo smiled back, searching past her for Luna.

"If you'll excuse us," Ginny announced, "We're going to our common room now."

"Wait!" stopping Ginny from moving, Hermione shoved the package into Draco's stomach with a strong force that had him grunting.

Draco ignored the smirk from Ginny, and dropped his jaw when Hermione turned away without even saying anything to him. "This is for you," he shouted, not wanting her to get the last… whatever it was she just had the last of.

"No it isn't," Hermione replied, looking back at Draco.

Rolling his eyes, Draco held the package out for her. "I think I would know if it was for you or not, seeing as how I'm the one who brought it."

"Give it to Parkinson," Hermione bit out.

Blaise and Theo both took a step back out of pure instinct while Ginny automatically did the same. "I doubt I'm going to have a six month anniversary with _her_," Draco sighed.

"Funny," Hermione smirked, "You don't seem to be having one with _me _either."

"Stop being a bint, and just open the bloody gift!" Draco shouted at the infuriating witch in front of him.

Taking in a deep breath, Hermione stomped her feet over towards Draco. Yanking the package out of his hands and tearing it open, she lost her breath. Pulling out a diamond embedded chain with an emerald heart shaped teardrop pendent, Hermione spotted the note attached to it and she began to read it aloud, not caring that either Ginny, Blaise, or Theo were standing there as witnesses.

_My love Hermione,_

_ These six months have been the happiest I've ever been. Words cannot even begin to describe how much I love you, and I only hope that you'll allow me to continue spoiling you with jewels and my love for many more anniversaries to come. I know it's rough right now, seeing as how you have to lie to everyone, but I promise it'll get better. We'll get better. I'm going to continue protecting you until this war is over then we can be free and tell everyone about our love for each other. I only hope that you'll still want me when that time comes!_

_ I love you! Happy six months!_

_ Love always,_

_ Draco_

Ginny quickly ran to Hermione's side, wrapping her arms around her while Blaise and Theo slowly stood behind Draco to let him know they were there for him as well. Draco refused to look Hermione in her eyes. He meant every word when he wrote it, and he still did. He did love her more than anything, and the past six months have been the happiest of his life because he had been with her. Draco saw the first tear soak through the note… then the second. Out of instinct Draco reached out to grab Hermione, but she roughly pulled away, cringing away from him as if he would hurt her. Crumpling the paper into a ball, Hermione threw it back at Draco, causing him to flinch when it hit his face.

"I don't want it back," Draco shook his head when Hermione held out the pendant for him to grab.

"Why not?" Hermione couldn't deny that her voice was thick with tears, "You wanted the earrings back, didn't you?"

"Hermione, I'm-"

"Don't!" Hermione's voice was dangerously low and her teeth were still clamped tightly shut. Seeing a flash of raven colored hair walk past them, Hermione scowled at Draco as she shouted out, "Parkinson!"

Turning around, Pansy took in the scene with her catlike jaded eyes. Three of the Slytherin Princes were surrounding the two Gryffindor Princesses, one of whom was crying. That was never a good sign. "What, Granger?" Pansy asked in a tired voice, approaching the odd group.

Grabbing Pansy's wrist, Hermione flipped it around and dropped the necklace into Pansy's opened hand. "This is for you… from Malfoy."

"Draco?" looking up at Draco, Pansy saw the flames raging in the silver orbs while Hermione grabbed Ginny and began to drag her away towards the Gryffindor common room. Sighing, Pansy shoved the necklace into Draco's robes pockets, "Bloody hell, Malfoy," she hissed in annoyance, "If you're going to break up with a muggle-born in the corridors, at least make sure that no one is going to be walking down them, eh. Someone might tell the Dark Lord about it."

Feeling like a child for crying about something as silly as this, Hermione curled up on her bed – glad for silencing spells – and held onto the cross pendent around her neck. It's been two years since she went to LA, and everything changed since then. Draco warned her at the Quidditch World Cup the night that the Death Eaters attacked, and she spent all of her fourth year trying to get him to have a civil conversation with her. There were so many times that Hermione wanted to just give up, but then she thought back to Reid and the promise she made to both him and Spike. Instead of giving up on Draco, she only pushed harder. It wasn't until six months before that he cornered her in the library. He asked her why she was being so nice to him and she let him know that she knew he was giving her subtle warnings throughout their years.

Even on their first day back in their fifth year, Draco warned Harry to let him know that Lucius knew Sirius was an Animagusand that he was around. Hermione told Draco that she was on to him, and that she knew he was giving them warnings to protect themselves. That was the first night that they kissed and they considered that date as a marking for their anniversary. Wiping away her tears, Hermione remained curled up in a ball, wearing one of Draco's plain black t-shirts that she 'stole' from him after a night in his room, continuing to finger the cross around her neck.

Hermione felt silly for crying like this. She knew that this was how it was going to end, but after the six months had been filled with nothing but happiness, she allowed herself to fall for Draco. She wrote to Spike, Faith, Reid, and even Tyler. Hell… even Cordelia, Lorne, Angel, Pogue, and Caleb got a bloody letter about it from her, even Lindsey – she was in love. Somehow during their secretive six months, Hermione had fallen in love with Draco. They all wrote back to her, warning her to not get too deep into it, but it was too late to listen to their warnings. Thinking back to the night that she sang in _Caritas_, Hermione cried even harder. Her vision had come true: she isolated herself, and in the end she still lost.

"Hermione," a voice called out to her. Hermione shut her eyes and pretended to be asleep, but it didn't work. Lavender called her again, "Hermione, there's an owl here for you; it's purely black with creepy green colored eyes."

"Faith…" Hermione muttered to herself then slowly got up. Using her wand to make it look as if she hadn't been crying since she ran into the room after dinner, Hermione opened up the curtains and grabbed the letter from Lavender. She saw that the owl was already gone. "Thanks Lavender," she weakly smiled.

_Little Darling,_

"Lindsey?" Hermione frowned. It was odd for Lindsey to be contacting her through Faith's owl. As a matter of a fact, he was never the one to contact her. Hermione wrote to him only three times since returning back to the wizarding world. The first time was when Cedric died, because she wanted him to know that his warnings were correct about the Death Eaters taking over Hogwarts, and that she was alright. The second time was when she wrote to him about being in love with Draco, and the final time was right after they returned from the Ministry when Sirius had been killed. Hermione wanted to know if Lindsey had a way to prevent Wolfram and Hart from releasing the arrested Death Eaters. Each time though, it had been her to write first and Lindsey always sent a reply back with her owl.

_As you know, I'm not the lawyer who works with the Death Eaters – the higher lawyers do. And after the incident where Angel cut off my hand, my bosses have hardly really trusted me with important things anymore. I'm leaving though. Your owl will be able to find me because I'll allow it through my protection spells, but other than your own owl, I will be in hiding and off the radar. I got my hand back and Angel helped me to save a lot of people and kill a demon. Apparently, my hand was evil and liked to kill people on its own (Cordelia said something about finally hearing me sing for the first time tonight and that she'll owl you sometime tomorrow about it) and Angel's escorting me to the city lines so I can make a run for it. I'm going to bring down Wolfram and Hart – too many people have been killed because of them. Before I leave though, I need to warn you…_

Hermione lightly giggled to herself as she thought back to the first night she had ever heard him sing. Cordelia and Angel weren't there with them so they didn't hear it, and Cordelia thought they were all exaggerating about it – it was good that she finally got to witness his voice for the first time. Hermione also remembered the letter that Spike wrote to her about how Lindsey double crossed them in a mission he asked for their help in, and how Angel ended up cutting off his hand to stop an apocalypse. She didn't write to Lindsey about it, because Faith wrote her a letter that same night and told her how she questioned Lindsey about it – if he didn't make a show that he was trying to stop Angel, then his bosses would have killed him. Hermione pitied Lindsey, and Faith tried to help him cope with only one hand. Glad to hear that Lindsey got his hand back, but confused about the whole killer hand thing and him being on the run, Hermione continued to read the letter. She loved his cryptic warnings – not – they always told her that Death Eaters wanted to kill her. They tried every year, but in the end Hermione always managed to annoy them by staying alive.

_I took files and reports from the firm before I left. I mean I actually broke into the offices and stole all their records. While searching for things to find that I could blackmail them with for now (to protect myself of course) I found a document for a new Death Eater. I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so little darling – Draco Malfoy's sixteenth birthday was just in June. It's normally tradition for a witch or wizard to get their Dark Mark on their sixteenth birthday – _

Hermione gasped; too scared to continue reading.

-_but for some reason, Lucius and Narcissa waited until last week. The point of this letter is to warn you! Draco Malfoy is a Death Eater. If he didn't know that their mission was to kill you before, he does now. Be careful around him; he has the mark on him and wears a mask. In order to become an actual Death Eater, you need to kill a muggle. He killed someone before they gave him the mark. I don't know why it took two months before he got his mark, but if you were to search his arm you would find that he has it on him. Be careful around him, and don't be alone with him. Watch your back and protect yourself at all times. If you want to see the contract, I have a copy of it with me. I've warned Faith and Angel already. Spike was quiet so you should owl him and let him know if you're alright. We can keep in touch now, so I want to know what's going on with you._

_ Please be careful little darling!_

_ -LM_

Hermione scoffed at Lindsey's signature on the bottom of the letter. 'LM' – the very initials of the man who wanted to kill her; the same initials of the very man who risked his own life to protect hers – it was ironic how two very different men with very different goals towards her had the very same initials. Gripping the letter tightly in her hands, Hermione curled back up into a ball and shut her eyes, praying that everything would just go away.

She would open her eyes and the letter wouldn't exist. She would open her eyes and she would be in Draco's arms on his bed. She would open her eyes and she would still be dating Draco, and his arm would be ink free. When she opened her eyes in the morning, the boy that she loved wouldn't be helping his father to kill her.

**Am I evil for spending the entire first story based on Hermione crushing on Draco then starting this story off with him 'breaking up' with her? So… what do you guys think? I'm eager to know! The first couple of chapters are going to have a lot of letters in it, but trust me – you guys will like it(: please review, alert, favorite, and all that other good stuff! I'm going to pass out now(:**


	2. The Morning Letter

The Morning Letter

Hermione did what she always did. She wore her school skirt with her knee high socks and her Oxford shirt. She braided her hair back and wore her Gryffindor colored tie and her black colored robe. She held her book bag over her shoulder and she walked with her head high. The silver from her cross glistened with the corridors lighting, and everyone turned to stare at her. The spell that she used on herself to hide her puffy eyes only slightly worked. Apparently she cried so much that no magic could conceal it completely. People were whispering about the bookworm's red eyes, but she ignored it with years of practice and refused to glance over at the Slytherin table.

"Oh come off it, Harry," Ron groaned as they took their seats at the table for breakfast. Harry had spent most of the morning in the common room telling them all about how he overheard Draco in the train's compartment the night before about him being a Death Eater. Neither of them noticed the way Hermione went frigid at his words and paled. "Why would he brag about something like that?"

"I didn't even realize you left the compartment," Hermione chose to say instead. She spent the last two years lying to her best friends, so she knew she could look Harry in his eyes and tell him that Draco wasn't a Death Eater and she would get away with it, but she didn't want her tears to betray her at the moment. Lindsey's letter was tucked into her pocket, a fresh reminder of the betrayal.

"Well you were busy crying, weren't you?" Harry pointed out. "I mean you didn't even notice that I came into the Great Hall with a broken nose, did you?"

Gasping, Hermione flew her hands to her mouth. "Harry! Who on earth broke your nose?"

"Malfoy," eying Hermione suspiciously, Harry looked over at the Slytherin table where Draco looked as if he hadn't gotten any sleep the night before. "I told you guys all about it once I sat down."

Sighing, Hermione pushed the plate of food away from her and shook her head, "I'm sorry Harry, I guess I just wasn't paying any attention."

"Oi! This is the second time that an owl is delivering an early letter," Ron was pointing at a pale colored owl with eyes as stormy as the rainy season.

Watching as the owl landed in front of Hermione, Harry cocked an eyebrow, "Aren't you a busy girl, Hermione."

Blushing, Hermione gave Reid's owl a strip of bacon and told her to fly into her room and wait for a reply. "It's from a friend."

_Sweetheart,_

Hermione smiled when she read that. It had been two years since she heard his affectionate nickname for her in person, but it still warmed her heart to read it on paper in his elegant handwriting.

_I can't believe I let it slip away from me, but I had other things on my mind since the death of Sirius. Draco's sixteenth birthday was June 5__th__ – he's a Death Eater now. I only remembered about it because Tyler was telling me about the gift he was planning to get you for your sixteenth birthday! Stay away from him, Sweetheart. I know I told you I agreed with you wanting to save him, but it's too late now. He had to kill someone in order to bear that mark and you're still their number one priority. I know it's going to kill you to do so, but please Sweetheart, stay away from him. My birthday is coming up soon and I'll be able to leave here, please wait for me until then. He needs to kill you and if he ignores the order, it will kill him. I'll think of something…_

_ I love you and remember to be strong!_

Draco was allowing Pansy to be all over him again and this time Theo and Blaise let it go. After Pansy gave Draco his necklace back, they cornered her and demanded to know what she was talking about. It seemed like they weren't the only ones in Slytherin who hated the Dark Lord. Pansy admitted to suspecting Draco with Hermione for a while, but that she still made moves for him because as long as it looked like she was trying for Draco Malfoy, the rest of the boys in Slytherin left her alone. Pansy admitted that she didn't really hate Hermione, but that she would be killed if the rest of Slytherin thought she was being weak.

"Did you send her something else?" Pansy whispered into Draco's ear.

Turning to where Hermione grabbed the letter from the beautiful, albino looking owl, Draco shook his head, "No."

Luna and Ginny were the only two who noticed the watchful gaze from the four Slytherins, and they both nodded their heads at each other: Draco still loved Hermione and it was obvious enough from this scene that Pansy felt nothing for Draco. It sickened them to think that Draco would stoop so low as to put on a show with Pansy just to hurt Hermione, but soon their thoughts were erased when Hermione jumped from the table and ran out with her hands over her mouth while tears poured out once again.

Draco watched as Ginny and Luna jumped up and ran after the hysterical Hermione, and he noticed that Ron and Harry didn't move to get up. Pansy whispered in his ear that maybe it was time for them to go, and Draco nodded his head. Nobody noticed as the four Slytherins followed the three girls out of the Great Hall, and nobody noticed as Draco bent over and picked up the letter from the ground.

"Fuck!" Draco hissed.

"What is it, mate?" Theo asked.

Thrusting the letter into Theo's hands, Draco felt sick, "She knows."

Theo read the letter then handed it to Blaise who then handed it to Pansy. "Who is this from?" she asked him.

"I don't know," Draco scowled, "But he called her Sweetheart, and told her that he loved her. You don't think she was cheating on me, do you?"

Blaise and Theo exchanged looks, but it was Pansy who shook her head, "Of course not, love. I don't know who this bloke is, but I know that Granger would never actually cheat on you. You could always see the love for you in her eyes – which is why I don't know how you two managed to keep it a secret for so long."

"Do you think she'll understand then?" Blaise asked. "Why you had to break up with her? Do you think she'll understand it now?"

Theo sighed, "She's a smart girl, mate. She'll understand why you had to break up with her, but she won't understand why you had to be a prick to her and why Pansy's wearing her earrings."

"It's better that she hates me," clenching his fist until the paper was cutting into the palm of his hand, Draco clenched his teeth. "But the only people that know the ritual to get a dark mark are other Death Eaters."

"Which means," Blaise paled, "That whoever is warning her against you is most likely going to try to kill her."

"I don't get it," Pansy frowned. "I mean I know that they want her dead because she's a muggle-born, but why is she their number one priority? I thought that they wanted Potter killed?"

"Your father's a Death Eater and you don't know this stuff?"

"Father wants me to be the perfect little Death Eater's wife," Pansy shook her head maliciously. "That means I don't ask questions and I stay the hell away from their business."

"Those are good rules," Blaise nodded approvingly.

Sighing, Draco pulled them into a hidden alcove. Placing a silencing spell around them so that nobody could hear anything that they were saying, he took in a deep breath. He thought back to the holidays after their third year and he remembered how his father told his mother to pack him a bag for the states. He said that he needed to blend in with the muggles and that he would be gone for a while, so he needed lots of things. He also told her to pack him bags of refillable blood so that he could make deals with the vampires. When he was leaving, Lucius looked down at his son and smirked. Draco still shuddered at his words; _when I return son, you'll have one less Mudblood dirtying up your school._

"It was the summer after third year," Draco started to explain, "Father went to America to recruit vampires and demons for the Dark Lord. Dumbledore expects us to recruit dark creatures, but he's only thinking inside of the box and trying to beat us to the ones in the wizarding world."

Theo had a thoughtful expression at this information. "That was actually smart of your father," he hated to admit it, but it was true. "No one from the Order would be expecting American creatures to become involved with our war."

"Exactly," Blaise shook his head. He knew this story already. He was over at the Malfoy Manor when Lucius returned from his trip. "But that isn't the only reason Lucius went to LA. He knew a certain witch was on vacation there, and he felt that he could kill two birds with one stone. Literally."

"Because I'm always complaining about Granger to my father, he realized that she's the reason Potter's still alive-"

"And it didn't help with everyone from Slytherin complaining about her… soon enough all of the Death Eaters realized it," Theo added in recognition.

Pansy nodded her head to show that she understood what they were all saying. Her face was blank from all emotions. "Kill Granger, then Potter's an easy target. So Lucius followed Granger to the states then?"

"It didn't work out exactly as he planned it," Draco snickered, "It seemed like she was ready for his attack and she wasn't alone. She mocked him and taunted him, and Father lost his cool – he slapped her."

Pansy gasped and rubbed both of her own cheeks out of instinct. Being a female, she knew what it was like to anger a Death Eater and become victims to their hits. "But she seemed perfectly normal when she returned to Hogwarts that year."

"Well…" Draco was still snickering, "As I said, she was expecting him. After Father slapped her she only laughed it off then continued to mock him. She had two friends with her –Father said that one of them was a vampire, but he froze him, and for some reason Granger knocked out the second one."

"He was probably a muggle and she knew that he would be killed for being in the way."

"That's what we said too," Blaise nodded his head to show that he agreed with what Pansy was thinking.

"Father _crucio'd _Granger," Draco clenched his fist again and his eyes narrowed as he thought of the girl he loved being tortured like that – by his own father. "And by some miracle, she stood up from it," Pansy's eyes were wide and she didn't know what to say. "She ended up disarming him when he was least expecting it and she managed to paralyze him and woke up her two friends. One of them was about to say something, but she had enough sense left in her to know that Father could still hear them and she warned him to keep shut. They took Father's wand."

"Is that why Lucius came to my father when he returned from his trip, for a spare wand?"

Draco nodded his head, "Exactly. They still have his wand."

"Have you talked to her about this?"

Now Draco shook his head. "She knows that I know about it, and she realized that all those time I was insulting them I was really giving them warnings. Other than that though, I don't know how much she knows."

"Well apparently," Pansy grabbed Draco's hand and flipped it over to show the letter, "She knows enough. And whoever this person is, he knows a lot too."

"Too much," Draco growled.

Ginny and Luna were both working to calm Hermione down. Hermione was now in her room, throwing all her things everywhere that it could possibly reach. She was muttering things under her breath, but it was too soft and too jumbled for them to understand what she was saying. Sitting on the edge of Hermione's bed, Luna shoved Ginny towards the hysterical girl; urging her to grab her – after all, Ginny had known her longer and Hermione would be less likely to attack Ginny for trying to pull her out of whatever mood she was in. There were tears falling from her eyes the way water falls out of a faucet, but neither girl could determine whether they were tears of anger and frustration or the tears of a broken hearted girl.

"Hermione," Ginny spoke calmly, trying to slowly inch her way closer to her distraught friend. "Hermione, hun… what did the letter say?"

Shaking her head, Hermione didn't even realize that she lost the letter or that Draco was now in possession of it. "How could I be so stupid?" she cried out, falling to her knees.

Looking at Luna for help, Ginny frowned at Hermione who was now sitting on her knees with her face in her hands. "You aren't stupid," Luna spoke up, also unsure of how to react in a situation like this. Ginny told her all about Draco breaking up with Hermione – at least that's what they think he did – but it was clear enough that whatever was in that letter is what was truly upsetting their friend, "You're the brightest-witch-of-your-age."

"Some bright witch, I am," Hermione snorted. "I can't believe I forgot."

"What did you forget?"

"That he was already destined to become one of them," hiccupping, Hermione pulled away from Ginny; not wanting to be helped up. She wanted to just stay there on the ground forever.

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked.

Luna looked nervous. She had an idea what the letter said, but she was scared of the answer. "What did the letter say, Hermione?"

"He took the mark," Hermione sighed. Ignoring the gasps from Ginny and Luna, she called to the owl, "Hades, bring me a quill and piece of parchment."

Dropping onto the bed next to Luna, Ginny watched as the owl followed the order, "Hermione, who wrote to you? What the hell is going on?"

Placing a silencing spell on the room, Hermione stared her two girlfriends in their eyes, "Can you two keep a secret? I mean, Harry and Ron can't know this. I've kept this from them for two years, and if I have to I'll obliviate the both of you plus whoever you tell."

Seeing the seriousness in Hermione's eyes, Ginny and Luna both nodded their heads, "We promise."

"I'm writing to Draco's brother," Hermione confided in them. "It all started during that summer after third year. Let me send this out to him then I'll explain everything."

Ginny looked at Luna and Luna stared at Ginny. Hermione was still kneeling on the ground, but now she was furiously writing something to the brother that they've never heard of before. Ginny blinked her eyes and Luna nodded her head. Within seconds they were both kneeling next to Hermione and reading over her shoulder.

_Reid,_

_ I know! Lindsey owled me last night, and I understand a little of it now. I also forgot what you told me. Are you mental? Stay away from here. He's sixteen now. Once you ascend he'll be sent to kill you – don't be foolish, don't make it easy for him. I don't want you here. Lindsey's on the run – I doubt he wrote to you, but only I can get a hold of him through my owl; something about runes and the firm trying to kill him or whatever. Don't worry about me, Draco broke up with me yesterday – I think – I went to tell him happy six months on the train ride back to school and he demanded to have his earrings back for that pig faced twat, Parkinson. He then called me a Mudblood and said I look like a slag. At dinner he gave me a necklace and I gave it to Parkinson to match the earrings. He called me a bint! You don't need to worry about me protecting him anymore; I'm going to cut off his bollocks with Destiny then I'm going to shove them up his arse and suffocate him with something equally horrendous – I'm thinking a dungbomb. Yes, I'm going to suffocate him with a dungbomb, and laugh as he slowly dies! So I'm sorry to tell you, but your brother will be dead soon and I'll probably be in Azkaban. Tell Tyler thank you for whatever he's planning to send me. Also, give my love to Caleb and Sarah as well as Pogue and Kate – I hope she liked the everlasting rose that I sent to her while she was in the hospital._

_ Love always, _

_ The Sweetheart_

"Explain," Ginny said, once the owl was gone, "Now!"

Sighing, Hermione shook her head. "I have two more letters to write then I promise I'll explain everything."

"You said that you would tell us everything after you sent out this one letter," Luna pointed out.

"I know," Hermione nodded her head, "But according to Lindsey's letter last night, he already told Faith and William what was going on, and I need to let them know I'm alive. If I don't write to them then Hogwarts is going to have a very pissed off vampire and slayer."

"Vampire and slay-" Ginny's jaw dropped while her eyes bulged. "What the hell happened two years ago, Hermione?"

_Faith,_

_ I'm alive – you will be happy to know that I'm going to use Destiny for once. I can't say much because class is going to start in an hour and I'm about to tell Ginny and Luna everything. I sort of had a bit of a mental breakdown in the Great Hall again. Draco broke up with me last night and he's going to meet Destiny. So it doesn't matter that he's a Death Eater – I'm going to kill him either way. Give Connor lots of kisses for me, and give Angel and Cordy my love. I'm giving William his own letter because Lindsey told me he's worried about me._

_ Love you,_

_ Doll Face_

"First Sweetheart, and now Doll Face?" Ginny smirked. "Now, I really want to know what's going on."

"Just one more letter," Hermione rolled her eyes. "And trust me – this is the most important one."

_William,_

_ First of all – I don't know how much Lindsey told you, but I'm alive! See! I'm writing to you and everything. He wrote to me last night and told me that he got his hand back – YAY! He also told me about the contract and everything, but you don't need to worry. Draco and I aren't together anymore,-_

"Why aren't you telling him the whole Malfoy broke up with you thing like you told the other two people?" questioned Luna.

Hermione shook her head, "Are you mental? I can't tell William that. He would kill Draco in a second."

"Isn't that what you want to do anyway?" Ginny grinned.

"It's different."

"How is it different?"

"I don't want William to kill him."

"Then what's the point of-"

"The quicker I send out this letter, the quicker I can tell you two everything."

"Please continue."

_-so I won't be alone with him anywhere. No more secret rendezvous for us, you'll be happy to know. I'm back at Hogwarts which is the safest place to be. He can't hurt me while I'm here so don't worry about me-_

"Why are you sugarcoating everything for this William guy?" Luna asked her.

"Yeah?" Ginny also wanted to know.

"I don't want him to know the truth."

"Will that Faith girl tell him?"

"She's not stupid."

_-because I'm alive. I know you're more worried about me since Sirius's death, seeing as how only Remus knows the truth now, but don't worry anymore. I'm telling Luna and Ginny the truth. I decided that you were right and that I should have people who are close by me that can help to keep me safe-_

"Liar! You're only telling us everything because you had a mental breakdown and let something slip out."

"Well I'm not about to tell him that. He doesn't need to know the exact reasons; just as long as he knows that I'm not alone."

_-I'm telling them right now, so I can't write long because class starts in an hour._ _I hope you're having a better time with Buffy; Cordy told me that you were in Sunnydale for a whole month – good news, I hope? Well, I'm waiting for your annoying reply back!_

_ Keep out of trouble, stay blonde, and remember that I love you,_

_ Scarlet_

"Scarlet?" Luna asked, watching with wide eyes as the owl flew out the window.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Ginny flopped down onto the bed. "Now, I really want to know."

Walking alone to class, Hermione rubbed at her forehead, trying to make her headache go away. Ginny and Luna believed everything she told them, and they both promised to not tell anyone, but they asked so many questions. It's like the idea of her summer in LA excited them both. Groaning at the idea of having two more people know the truth, Hermione walked into their Defense Against Dark Arts class, and things just got worse. Professor Snape finally got the position he had wanted for years now, and Hermione took it to be an omen. Every professor that had this position so far, had to leave for some reason – she had no doubt in her mind that Professor Snape would be the next to go.

"Watch it, Mudblood."

Biting her bottom lip until she could taste blood, Hermione stared into the steel colored eyes that had been haunting her since she was only thirteen. "Shove off, Malfoy."

Draco wanted to soften his glare and hold the witch in his arms, but if he did so they would both be killed. He debated on if he should return the letter back to Hermione or not. A selfish part of him wanted her to know that he knew she knew the truth, but then he saw the pain in her eyes as she kept his gaze. That was his brave stupid little witch; she would never back down – even if she was losing. "I saw you storm out of the Great Hall again," Draco chose to be cruel instead. "What's the matter Granger – boyfriend break up with you?"

Hermione felt her nails digging into the palm of her hands and she took in a deep breath. Theo and Blaise just approached them, and they both looked shell shocked at Draco's words. Pansy leaned against Draco and stared at Hermione with an unknown glaze in her eyes, and Hermione fought back the urge to punch them both. "Yes," she ended up saying instead, thinking back to the nights of silly banters before killing their victims, "He decided that he'd rather do _whom _everyone else is doing. He likes his blood pure, but his twats filthy," smirking at the gasp Pansy made, and the amused looks in Theo and Blaise's eyes, Hermione raked Pansy's body with her eyes then flipped her hair. "His new slag puts the word Mudblood to shame."

"If I'm the new slag," Pansy knew that Hermione was hurting because of what Draco did to her, and she understood that Hermione would hate her more now than she did before, but her words caught her off guard and it hurt her a little, "Then that makes you the old trash."

Laughing, Hermione shook her head, "Oh sweetie," she smirked, "You really need to come up with better lines than that," then winking at Theo and Blaise, Hermione grinned, "Boys," turning away, she walked over to her desk.

"I was going to hex you for stooping that low," Blaise chuckled, shaking his head while leading the still stunned Draco to his seat, "But it looks like she handled it quite well."

"I can't believe she said that I'm dirty and overused," Pansy huffed out.

"What the bloody hell did I just do?" Draco groaned, slamming his head onto the desk.


	3. Books Aren't The Only Things That Cheat

_**white demoness – I never really liked Hermione being a year older than everyone else so I just ignored that fact completely, and as for the Sons, I made them only 16 in the first story so they should be 18 right now, but I'm making it where Reid's birthday is in October so technically in the first story he was still only 15 and was turning 16. In this story he'll be 18 in the next month. This is only 2 years later so they should be 18, and Hermione is almost 16 in a couple of weeks. Don't they ascend on their 18th birthday? Or was it their 17th? –that's one thing I can never really remember. I mentioned in the first story that I was going to be mixing up Covenant and Angel facts just a little bit so that I could make it work in with this story. I'm glad you like my story though(:**_

Books Aren't The Only Things That Cheat

Classes had only been going on for one week, but the professors were working them like crazy; expecting them to be able to do non-verbal spells in all of their classes. Hermione was annoyed because on top of trying to save Harry's life behind his back, she had to deal with her ex-boyfriend being a Death Eater and trying to kill her, plus Harry had to add to her stress and start following orders from some book. It just wasn't her week. With the workloads that the professors had been giving them, along with all the secret work that Hermione was doing, she had to ask Professor McGonagall to repeat most of what she saying more than once, and to add insult to her intelligence Harry had to be a git and get higher marks than her in Potions. It was only because of the stupid Half-Blood Prince – whoever the prat was.

This morning things decided to be even worse on her. Ignoring the eyes from the Slytherin table – it's been one week since she had to actually speak to any of them – Hermione looked up at the staff table and sighed. Hagrid was missing again, and they haven't seen him yet. "We've got to go and explain," she told Harry and Ron.

"We've got Quidditch tryouts," Ron argued. "Plus, we're supposed to be practicing that aguamenti charm from Flitwick," after a moment's pause, he bravely added, "Besides, how are we going to explain that we dropped his class because we hated his stupid subject?"

"Ron!" Hermione gasped then leaned over and slapped his head. "We didn't hate it."

Ron scoffed, "Speak for yourself, I haven't forgotten the skrewts."

Ron was annoying Hermione. Hagrid was their friend; one of the people who hadn't let them down, and she missed talking to him. "I hate not talking to him," she sighed.

It seemed like Harry had the same thoughts though because he said, "We'll go down after Quidditch," he tried to assure her, "But it might take all morning; a lot of people have applied. I don't know why the team is so popular all of a sudden."

Hermione snorted and rolled her eyes. "Oh come on Harry, it's obvious isn't it?" Harry shook his head and Hermione rolled her eyes again, impatiently, "Well, you're the captain this year and they all want to see you. You're more popular this year than ever before because a lot of them still feel guilty for doubting you last year about Voldemort returning and they want to be around you all the time now."

Ron started to choke on his kippers and Harry was beginning to look all clammy like, "What?"

"It could also be because you stood up to the Ministry and refused to back down when they made you look unstable and out to be a liar. Plus you've still got that scar on the back of your hand from when that horrid toad made you write lines with your own blood-"

"I've still got the scars from when the brains attacked me in the Ministry last year," Ron spoke up, pushing back the sleeves of his robes.

"And it doesn't hurt that you've grown at least an entire foot over the summer," Hermione finished, ignoring Ron.

"I'm tall," Ron added, looking hurt.

Harry didn't have to bother making up some sort of excuse while the owls began to all swoop down and deliver letters. Hermione pitied Harry, knowing that he wouldn't be getting any letters for a while seeing as how the only one who wrote to him was now dead, and Remus was away on a mission for Dumbledore. Remus told Hermione that he was trying to persuade werewolves to join their side, but that Dumbledore didn't want Harry knowing anything. After Hermione learned the truth while spending her summer in LA, Remus and Sirius began to trust her with everything that Dumbledore told them to keep hushed up, and vice-versa. They knew things that even Dumbledore himself didn't know. She still needed to let Remus know that Ginny and Luna were in the loop as well now. Smiling as she saw Hedwig flying towards a very surprised Harry, Hermione fed Faith's owl and accepted the letter. It had been only three days since her last letter. Reid and Spike hadn't replied back to her, but she ignored it to them being stupid.

"Hullo RG," Hermione cooed, petting the owl's beak.

"RG?" Ron quirked an eyebrow.

"It's an inside thing," Hermione giggled. RG stood for Reid Garwin, because Faith thought it would be funny to name her owl after him.

_Doll Face,_

_ Don't worry about Spike and Reid not writing back to you. I was on the phone with Reid all night and he told me that he's only worried about you. Spike isn't responding because he's stupid and he's plotting ways to kill his mini me. Connor said his first word today, 'bloody' –Angel and Spike both insisted that Darla would be proud, but Cordy threw a huge fit over it and Spike is now forbidden anywhere near the little tyke. I wonder what Cordy would say if she knew I was trying to teach him to throw a dagger?_

Hermione began to choke on her orange juice and started to laugh all over her letter. That sounded like something Faith would do – only she would think to teach an eight month old baby to throw a dagger.

_What do you want for your birthday? I'm thinking of sending you a little friend for Destiny, but apparently it's not appropriate or whatever Angel said – I wasn't listening. Reid told me that they're sending their gifts to you the day before your birthday so that when you wake up it'll be there already, but I'm thinking of sending it before then. How are your classes going? How's Harry holding up? I know Reid took Sirius's death hard. I'm thinking of visiting him. Did you know that Sirius left hiding last year to go and see Reid? Reid was telling me that last night. I can only imagine what Harry's feeling. How about you and Ron? Are you guys alright? Well… I'm getting sappy now. I'm starting to feel like Spike – ugh, I need a shower now. Remember what I always say, Doll Face – keep your head up._

_ Love,_

_ Faith_

_ Five by five, Doll Face, five by five_

"HA!" Harry's sudden outburst tore Hermione away from her letter just as she was about to laugh again.

"Oh good," Hermione sighed with relief when she saw the new copy of _Advanced Potion-Making_, "You can give back that blasted book now."

"What?" Harry gasped. "Are you mental? Why would I do that?" taking out the old and battered version that he had been using all this time, Harry grinned and tapped both books with his wand, saying, "_Diffindo_!" Hermione dropped her jaw as Harry then switched the covers then tapped them once more and said, "_Reparo_!"

Hermione pressed her lips together before she could say something that _these _friends of hers had never heard her say before, and she silently thanked Merlin when another owl flew in and dropped a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ in front of her. "Anyone we know, dead?" Ron asked the same question he's been asking for about a year now.

"No," Hermione shook her head, "But there have been more Dementor attacks, and one arrest."

The excitement in Harry's eyes showed that he was thinking of Bellatrix Lestrange as he straightened his back. "Perfect! Who is it?"

"Stan Shunpike."

"What?" Harry was definitely not expecting that answer.

Hermione began to read the article, _"Stanly Shunpike, conductor on the popular Wizarding conveyance the Knight Bus, has been arrested on suspicion of Death Eater activity. Mr. Shunpike, 21, was taken into custody late last night after a raid on his Clapham home…"_

"No way!" Harry shook his head, "There's no way that he's a Death Eater. If he's a Death Eater then Neville's a Death Eater."

"Oi!"

"Sorry Neville," Harry blushed as their awkward friend looked up from his scrambled eggs to stare at him. "I'm just saying… I met Stan Shunpike; he's not a Death Eater."

Ron nodded his head as he considered it then said, "He could be under the Imperius Curse_,_ you can never tell right away."

"I don't think so," Hermione frowned, still reading the paper. "It says right here that he was arrested after being overheard talking about the Death Eaters secret plans in a pub," with a troubled look on her face, she looked up from the paper, "If he was under the Imperius Curse_,_ I hardly doubt that he would stand around, gossiping about their plans."

Ron shook his head, "It sounds to me like he was trying to sound all cool. No real Death Eater is stupid enough to talk about things like that where they could be overheard. Besides, wasn't he the one who claimed he was in line to become the next Minister of Magic when he was trying to impress those Veelas at the World Cup?"

Frowning as she thought back to that night – the first time that she noticed Draco was trying to protect her – Hermione stood up, "Well come on then, we wouldn't want you two to be late for tryouts now would we?"

Explaining that Parvati and Padma Patil's parents were considering on pulling them out of Hogwarts because of Professor Dumbledore's constant disappearances and the fear that Voldemort was going to attack them at Hogwarts, Hermione wasn't all that shocked to see Lavender and Parvati looking depressed as they passed them on their way out of the Great Hall. She did, however, manage to hold in a giggle when she saw Parvati look up and nudge Lavender who then looked up and flashed a wide smile at Ron; it seemed almost shy like. Catching Harry's eyes, the two of them began to laugh as Ron looked uncertain then blinked and smiled back while walking with a limp in his step. Hermione laughed even harder as she thought back to Caleb walking like that when they passed by a group of school girls in short uniforms back in LA. She missed her American friends.

Reaching the Quidditch pitch, Hermione wished her two best friends luck and walked up to the bleachers to find somewhere to sit. It was starting to drizzle a little and she pulled up the hood of her robe while placing a drying spell on her things to make sure they didn't become wet. Finding a seat that secluded her from everyone else who was watching the rehearsals, Hermione pressed her lips together when she saw Harry point towards her, sending a rather large looking boy with wiry hair to where she was sitting. He gave her a wink and a smug smirk, and Hermione cringed.

Soon enough, Harry broke everyone off into groups to see who could fly properly and who had skills to be on the team. Remembering the boy as Cormac McLaggen, someone else from Professor Slughorn's Slug Club thing, Hermione cringed again. Unless the male was Draco, Reid, or Spike, they looked stupid when they smirked. Even Angel looked stupid when he smirked. Who the hell did Cormac think he was smirking at her? He isn't her boyfriend. Hermione sighed – no he wasn't her boyfriend… her boyfriend was a Death Eater and possibly planning her death in this very moment. Pinching her thigh to make her thoughts disappear, Hermione heard Harry shout for everyone who wasn't in Gryffindor to get off the field, and she sighed. This was going to be a long practice.

Digging through her bag, Hermione pulled out a quill and a blank parchment then started to write back to Faith.

_Faith,_

_ I don't blame William for ignoring me. I tried writing back to him a couple of nights ago, but he's just being a baby because I didn't tell him about how Draco and I broke up and he had to find out from you and Reid. I'm glad to hear that Connor is speaking now, and don't tell Cordy, but I think it's funny that William influenced his first word. And only you would be teaching an eight month old baby how to throw a dagger. Is he any good? You'll be proud of me – I've been practicing and I'm better at it now! Harry is holding up better than he did this summer. I think he's having nightmares again though, and he went on his first mission thing with Professor Dumbledore, but it's been hectic around here and he didn't tell us what they did. We haven't seen Professor Dumbledore since that day either. Ron doesn't mention Sirius, but I know he still thinks about it. And I'm fine – I miss him like crazy, but Harry doesn't understand how close we really were and I don't want him to become too suspicious of why I'm possibly taking his godfather's death harder than he is. Classes are ridiculous; even I'm going mad with everything they expect us to do._

_ And I'm glad that you're talking to Reid. Tell him I'm here for him, will you? I expected William to be a baby and ignore me, but I didn't expect that from Reid. I tried writing back to him to ask him how he's doing, but he ignored me too. Tyler wrote back and told me that Reid's fine. Tell him he's a prat from me? Not Tyler, Reid. So what's going on with you two? I seem to remember you telling me that the day you date Reid is the day that I convince Draco it's alright to love me back – it happened for six months. So does this mean you guys are together now? Does Reid know what you signed him up for? Is you going to 'visit' him code for you finally shagging him? You can tell me now – I'm not thirteen anymore!_

Looking up from the letter she was laughing at while writing, Hermione thought back to when Faith them would try their hardest to not talk about sex around her because they were too scared to corrupt her. It didn't work though – in the end she still became corrupted; she turned out like each of them in a way that they wouldn't have thought possible. It excited her. She teased Reid and Faith about liking each other, but they both denied it then turned red and quickly changed the subject, but lately she's been noticing Faith mentioning a lot of Reid in her letters, and before Reid started ignoring her, Hermione noticed Faith's name in his letters a couple of times as well. Hermione smiled at the thought of Faith with Reid. They were both sexy and dangerous people; to throw them together would be disastrous, but that's why she liked them together even more – it was a stupidly cute idea.

Hermione saw Ron move forward as it was now his turn to try out for Keeper, and she opened her mouth. "Good luck!" shutting her mouth again, Hermione turned to the direction that the luck came from and saw Lavender turning a bright red shade as she quickly dropped her face into her hands. Rolling her eyes, Hermione saw Harry watching them then frowned. Ron was looking like a fool out there. Turning to make sure that no one was paying her any attention, Hermione muttered a quick spell then turned back to her letter.

_I need to go now. I just snuck a spell to make sure that Ron got the Keeper position on the team. We're at the tryouts right now. _

_ Love,_

_ The already corrupted Doll Face_

_Ps. I don't want anything for my birthday – just a letter from Reid and William. Make them feel guilty until I get it!_

Sending off the letter with RG who was sitting close to her, Hermione gathered up all of her things then ran down when she saw Harry arguing with Cormac. Lavender shot her a nasty look and she matched her expression then shrugged it off. Laughing as she reached her two best friends, Hermione flew her arms around Ron and grinned, "You did brilliantly, Ron!"

Harry saw Lavender still glaring at Hermione, along with Parvati, but it was Ginny who saw the hurt expression on Draco's face as he stopped in front of the Slytherin locker rooms. Ignoring Harry as he went over their training schedules with the team, Ginny watched Draco. He was staring at Hermione and Ron with a clenched fist while gritting his teeth. Blaise walked over to him and placed an arm on his shoulder then shot Ginny an apologetic look. Ginny shrugged her shoulders to show that she was confused, and Blaise only shook his head back at her. Sighing, Ginny nodded her head at him then watched as he led a still hurt looking Draco into the locker rooms.

"I thought I was going to miss that fourth penalty," Ron sighed, proud that he instead caught all five. "That was a tricky shot from Demelza, did you see that? It had a bit of a spin on it-"

Hermione was looking amused; Ron had never been so happy before, "Yes, yes," she told him, "You were magnificent."

Blushing, but puffing out his chest in a proud way, Ron continued, "I was better than McLaggen at least," he laughed. "It looked like he was Confounded_-_"

Hermione adverted her eyes when she saw Harry staring at her, and she knew her cheeks were red. Damn Ron – why did he have to say that? Why couldn't he just think that he made the team due to his own skills? Reaching Hagrid's cabin, they all saw Buckbeak tied up and Harry grinned while Hermione slowly walked around him. When Sirius died, Harry got everything from him; including Buckbeak – who was really now called Witherwings as to not raise suspicion because he was supposed to have been executed – but Harry gave him to Hagrid. There was no way he could take care of the hippogriff while he was in school, and Hagrid loved the beautiful creature more than Harry did.

"Oh dear," Hermione said nervously, "He's still a bit scary isn't he?"

"Oh come off it," Ron rolled his eyes. "You rode him before haven't you?"

Stepping in front of the creature, Harry bowed low without looking away or blinking. Once Witherwings reacted in the same way, Harry smiled then walked over to him. "How are you?" he asked in a low voice while petting his beak. "Missing Sirius, eh… but that's alright, you have Hagrid to love you now."

"Oi!" shouted Hagrid, while turning around the bend. He was wearing a flowery apron and carrying a sack of potatoes. "Get away from him; he'll have yer fingers-" he stopped shouting when he saw the golden trio, "Oh, it's you lot."

Fang jumped on Hermione and began to lick her face to show her how much he missed her while Hagrid stared at all of them for a couple of seconds. Fang moved on to Ron's ears and Hagrid strode into his cabin then slammed the door behind him. "Oh dear," Hermione sighed.

"Don't worry about it," Harry looked grim as he stalked over to the door and began pounding on it. "Hagrid! Open up, we want to talk to you!"

Hagrid made no sound in response, and Hermione moved to the door now, "Hagrid? Hagrid? Please let us in."

"If you don't open this door, we'll blast it open," Harry shouted, directing his wand on the door.

"Harry," Hermione gasped, "You can't-"

"Yeah," Harry nodded his head, "Yeah, I can. Stand back Hermione-"

Just then the door opened up and Hagrid looked furious. "I am a professor!" he shouted. "How dare yeh threaten ter break down my door, Potter."

"Sorry, _Professor_," Harry said bitterly, returning his wand to his robes pocket.

"Since when have yeh called me 'Professor'?"

"Since when have you called me 'Potter'?"

Hagrid growled at Harry's reply and Hermione chewed on her bottom lip. "Very clever," Hagrid snarled, "Very amusin'. That's me outsmarted, innit? All righ' come in then, yeh ungrateful little…" continuing to mutter beneath his breath, Hagrid stepped aside and allowed them inside.

Then the pleading started. Hagrid accused them of feeling sorry for him, and Harry said how they missed him, but it wasn't until Hermione began to explain that they had too many classes this year and that they couldn't add his class into their already tight schedules, that he accepted their apologies. Hermione started to peel the potatoes for Hagrid then soon enough everyone else joined in and helped her out. Hagrid snorted and his bogeys flew onto some of the potatoes – making Hermione extremely glad that they weren't staying for dinner. Hearing an odd squelching sound, they all turned around and saw a barrel filled with fat white little maggots.

Ron asked why he had them then Hagrid broke down and started to cry. Zoning out as Hagrid began to explain that his old friend Aragog – the giant spider that once tried to kill Harry and Ron – was dying, they tried to comfort him, but Hermione wasn't even paying attention as she patted his back and told him that everything would be alright. Her mind was on Draco, Reid, and the letter. The letter was missing. In the beginning she thought that it was in one of her books. But now she was beginning to panic. What if it got in the wrong hands? What if someone found it? What if it was a Slytherin that found it? What if a Slytherin read the letter and learned that Draco had secretly been dating Hermione? Reid didn't put too much into it, but he did mention that she needed to stop trying to save him and that-

"Shit!"

Hagrid stopped blubbering and they all turned to her with wide eyes. "Hermione!" Ron gasped.

Grabbing all her things, Hermione muttered a quick, "Your duck will be fine, Hagrid," then she ran out of the cabin, not even realizing that she just called a giant murderous spider a duck.

She was so bloody stupid! It was obvious enough that a Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw didn't find the letter because Draco would have been arrested if they did. But a Slytherin finding it wouldn't be any better. They would have known that Draco had dated her for a while and they could give it to Voldemort. Draco would be killed if any of the Death Eaters found out about him dating Hermione. Feeling tears that she hadn't felt in two nights, Hermione ran through the corridor. She was such an idiot. Of course he broke up with her – if any of the other Death Eaters found out that he was dating the main person they wanted to kill, he would have been killed. They would either kill him or they would use him to get closer to her. Cursing her stupidity as she continued to run, Hermione bumped into a hard body.

"Oomph!" she grunted as she hit the ground.

"Granger?"

Looking up, Hermione weakly smiled. "Hullo Zabini."

Looking around to make sure that they were alone, Blaise bent over and helped her up. "Sorry Hermione, are you alright?"

"Yeah," she nodded her head, "I wasn't paying attention. I'm in a rush – see I lost-"

"A letter?"

Gasping, Hermione shook her head, "Please tell me that he didn't-"

"Find it?" Blaise nodded his head. "We all followed you out that night to make sure you were alright, and he saw it on the floor. He's scared as hell right now. Who sent you that letter?"

Shaking her head again, Hermione licked her lips. Relieved that it was only Draco who found it, Hermione relaxed a bit; at least nobody would find out the truth about Draco, but now she had another problem – Draco knew she knew. "I can't tell you."

"Please," Blaise dropped his voice. "You don't get it Hermione. You know that Draco would never hurt you. He broke up with you-"

"To protect me," Hermione stated, "I know Blaise, it literally _just _dawned on me, but he's still a git and I still hate him for how he did it, but I can't tell you who sent me that letter."

"Draco would never hurt you," Blaise repeated himself. "You can't trust whatever Death Eater it is that's trying to plot you against him."

"What?"

"The letter," Blaise whispered, "Whoever wrote it only wants you to stay away from Draco, so that he can kill you himself. Please, Hermione-"

Hermione started laughing and she shook her head. "Oh Merlin, is that what you guys think?" seeing Blaise's confusion, she laughed even more. "Don't worry about it Blaise. He isn't a Death Eater-"

"But he knows the ritual to get a mark…"

"Because he's familiar with it," Hermione nodded her head with wide eyes. "And don't worry about it. I wrote back to him; he's not coming here. It's more dangerous for him than it is for me."

"But you-"

"Are wanted for dead?" Hermione asked. Then smirking, she shrugged her shoulders. "What they'll do to me is nothing compared to what they'll do to him. Besides, I don't think Malfoy would appreciate him being here either."

"What?" Blaise was more confused now than he had ever been in his life. And he had to hear the birds and bees speech from his mum when he was only ten years old… that was pretty confusing. "He called you Sweetheart…"

"He always did," Hermione smiled. Was Draco jealous? Is that why Blaise is being all paranoid? "He's called me Sweetheart from the moment we met – he's sees me as a little sister."

Blaise shook his head and scratched his chin. "I don't get it."

"Sweetheart is a nickname for his little sister," Hermione said simply. "He isn't a Death Eater, but he knows them personally. He won't hurt me. He honestly thinks Malfoy wants to kill me. He won't come here anymore because Malfoy's sixteen now and he would be killed. I trust him more than I trust Harry and Ron."

Blaise heard everything that Hermione just told him, but through it all he only heard her calling Draco by his surname. "You're calling him Malfoy."

"Well seeing as how his blood is pure, I can hardly call him a Mudblood, now can I?"

"Herm-"

"I get it," Hermione cut Blaise off with a sigh, "But his words and actions still hurt me. So in my mind the break up is real and he's a git. You can tell him I said that. And you can also tell him that the next time he calls me a slag, I'm going to punch him. I'm not going to slap him this time; I'm going to bloody punch him! Have a nice day, Blaise."

Harry and Ron caught up with Hermione as she was making her way down the corridor to reach the Great Hall in time for dinner, and they all stopped to watch as Cormac walked into the wall instead of the doorway. Ron laughed about it and Hermione felt a tinge of guilt eat through her; she didn't mean for the spell to last this long. Ron walked into the Great Hall, but Harry caught Hermione's arm, keeping her back, and with a quick glance over at the Slytherin table –Hermione saw Draco push his plate away from him. He looked paler.

"What?"

"McLaggen looks like he _was_ Confounded this morning," Harry said accusingly. Hermione opened her mouth to deny it, but then he said, "And he just so happened to be standing right in front of where you were sitting."

"Fine," Hermione didn't bother to deny anything. There is no point in even trying to lie when Harry already knew the truth, "But he creeped me out, and you should have heard the things he was saying about Ron and Ginny. And he's got a nasty temper; you wouldn't want someone like him on the team anyway."

Laughing, Harry shook his head, "No, I suppose I wouldn't, but wasn't that dishonest, Hermione? I mean you are a prefect after all. How is you cheating for this any different from my helpful Potions book?"

"Oh shut up," Hermione snapped at him.

Ron approached them then gave them both a suspicious look over, "What are you two doing?"

"Nothing," Harry and Hermione both replied.

Declining Professor Slughorn's offer for only Hermione and Harry to join the rest of the Slug Club in a quiet supper party, the trio ate their dinner in peace. Hermione was now good at ignoring the piercing gaze from across the hall. She had no doubt that Blaise was now telling Draco of their little conversation, and it made her a little woozy. Reaching the common room, they found a free table and Hermione scanned through the _Daily Prophet._

"Anything good in there?" Harry asked her.

"Mr. Weasley's in here-" seeing Ron's reaction, Hermione quickly added, "He's alright; it just says that he's been to the Malfoys' home," frowning, Hermione thought back to when she saw Draco. He seemed to be in a foul mood when she saw him at dinner. At first she thought that it was because Harry grabbed her, but it could be because of this, and he did look paler than he usually was, and he did push his plate away. Has he been eating at all since school started back up?

"Erm…" Harry cleared his throat, "Hermione?"

"Hmm?" looking up from the paper, Hermione saw the two of them watching her and she quickly looked back down at the paper. "Right, hold on… _This second search of the Death Eater's residence does not seem to have yielded any results. Arthur Weasley of the Office for Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects said that his team had been acting upon a confidential tip-off."_

Hermione winced at the thought of Lucius Malfoy being caught clean, but he was still in Azkaban and she was a bit relieved. Because of the fact that Lucius is in Azkaban, if anything had been found, Draco would have been the one who was arrested. "Yeah, mine!" Harry broke into her thoughts. "I told him at Kings Cross about when we saw Malfoy in Borgin's trying to fix something. Whatever it is, he must have brought it with him to Hogwarts then."

"Oh honestly," Hermione rolled her eyes. It was hard to have to keep arguing with Harry and try to convince him that Draco wasn't a Death Eater when she knew he actually was. "How could he have done that? We were all searched once we entered the castle, remember?"

"What?" Harry fixed his glassed which were sliding off his nose, "No," he shook his head, "I was late because Malfoy broke my nose and hid my body on the train with my own invisibility cloak," he spat out bitterly. "Of course I don't expect_ you_ to remember that though, Hermione, because you were too busy having a mental breakdown."

"Mate," Ron gasped.

Clenching her teeth together, Hermione threw the newspaper down and stood up. Didn't Harry understand that she was saving his life? Didn't he understand that the only reason he's alive right now is because of her? If it weren't for her then he would have been killed already. "I'm just trying to think logically," Hermione hissed at Harry in a low tone. "If you want to continue being obsessed over Malfoy then go for it, if you decide you need me, I'll be having another one of my mental breakdowns."

_Reid,_

Hermione tried to wipe away the tears that were falling, but the parchment was already stained. She didn't want Reid to know that she was crying, but she needed to write to him.

_It's good that you're being a prat and ignoring me seeing as how Draco found your first letter. I know I don't need to tell you not to reply to this because you weren't going to anyway. The point of this is not to tell you how much of a git you are, but to tell you that you don't have anything to worry about. Draco broke up with me because he's a DE now; if we were found out, he would have been used to get closer to me so he's protecting me. Everything is just bloody perfect in the world now._

_ -Hermione_

Re-reading the letter, Hermione realized that she sounded a bit harsh but she didn't care anymore. She just got into another useless argument with her best friend because of something that she didn't want him to know for his own sanity and safety, and the person that she loved was treating her like dirt just so people wouldn't know he loved her. Her world was falling apart and she had the right to be harsh to people who ignored her because of silly little tantrums. Deciding that she needed Lindsey's help, Hermione wrote another letter.

_LM,_

_ I hate your initials! Thanks for the warning, but he broke up with me before I received it – a couple of hours before. I don't know why they waited until a week before school started either, and we aren't on the best of terms for me to find out. He knows that I know because he found the warning that Reid sent to me the morning after your letter. I'm glad to hear you got your hand back. I wish I could talk more, but I need a favor and there isn't much time._

_ Malfoy Manor was raided but they found nothing. I know you told me that Lucius won't be released from Azkaban, but if they did find anything, Draco would have been arrested. I know that you all want that, and in a way I do as well, but something isn't right. Harry and I saw Draco questioning Borgin about an item inside his shop – something that needs to be repaired. I know you're in hiding, but is there anything that you can think of? Do you have any idea of what they would need to be repaired and where it could possibly be if not at the Manor? I'm trying to convince Harry that Draco isn't a Death Eater, but he's not stupid – he saw Draco showing two of his friends the mark on the train ride back to school, and even though I claim that I didn't see anything in the shop, he won't give up his argument. I need something – anything, please?_

_ -Darling_

"Take Reid his letter first," Hermione told the owl, "Then Lindsey. Wait for Lindsey to reply."

**I hope you guys don't mind all the letters for now… it's only for a couple more chapters then there will be no more need for letters. Well sort of… but for now it's the only way Hermione can communicate with everyone(:**


	4. Birthdays: Gifts and Fights

**So much for posting up a chapter for every story today: I just started to write for one of my other stories when my friends came over – I can't believe I forgot what today was. Today I stood and watched my 20 year old friend as we buried his twin brother who was stabbed 2 weeks ago! This is my 3rd friend whose funeral I've been to since September and he's also the 3rd one to be killed viciously. And he's also the 2cd one who was one year younger than me. Ironically this chapter's got good comebacks, laughs, and a fight – it reminds me of my friends. So I dedicate this chapter to Micah, Mouse, and Brycen. **

**(Micah who was killed 2 days after my 21st birthday and a month before his 20th while protecting a good friend of his from being beaten by her boyfriend – he was run over more than once. Mouse, Kollin, who was 23 got into an argument at a club and was pulled away then taken to McDonalds. One of the APEC guards ended up following them there then shot Mouse and killed him. And then Brycen, who was stabbed in Waikiki. He died and his friend is still in critical. He just turned 20 a month ago. All three killers are free and uncharged.) So this chapter is dedicated to my 3 boys who died way before their time and had their deaths go unjustified. Here's to scraps, laughs, comebacks, and broken noses! Love you guys and 'til we meet again(:**

Birthdays – Gifts and Fights

"Hot Pockets!" Harry's excited scream had everyone turning to look at them in the Great Hall.

Laughing, Hermione sat next to the excited boy as he eyed the box she just handed to him with greedy eyes. "Pogue thought you might appreciate it."

"I do," Harry nodded his head.

Sitting next to her brother, Ginny stared across at Harry and cocked her head. "Why is he petting a box of food?"

"My precious," Harry cooed, continuing to pet the box.

"I heard the muggles starved you, Potter," entered the amused drawl of Draco from behind them, "But I didn't think you'd resort to cradling food like a Weasley."

Harry tightened his hold on the box, and opened his mouth, but Hermione beat him to it. "Coming from a Malfoy," she scoffed, "That's rich. I doubt you've ever appreciated a gift in your life."

Draco's glare faltered for a second, but he regained his confidence and sneered at her, "I hear it's your birthday, Granger – it looks like you're so desperate for friends that you're the one giving gifts instead of them."

Reaching for her wand, Hermione felt her fingers twitch, "Would you like to receive the next one?"

Draco was stunned. Before, Hermione had always been slow with her comebacks or they would be lame. Sometimes she would even choose to just walk away and ignore the fight, but since their fourth year she had a bit of a flame in her eyes during an argument, and now… now, she was just spitting them out like she lived for moments like these. "I have better things to do than argue with a-"

"-Mudblood?" Hermione smirked with a proudly raised eyebrow. She saw Draco scowl at her for stealing his insult and her smirk got smugger. Reid would be so proud of her right now. "Wow," Hermione clapped her hands together, "Look at that. I knew what you were going to say. Maybe I do have the sight after all. Do you think it's too late to take up Divination again?"

Blaise, Theo, and Pansy all coughed to hide their chuckles from Draco's side while everyone at the Gryffindor table laughed at Hermione's words. They had never seen the Gryffindor princess being so… so… so cocky before. It was a sight to see. "You'd do good to watch your mouth," Draco growled at her.

Leaning in closely so that she could smell the musky wet grass scent of Draco's skin, Hermione pressed her lips to his ear in a vindictive snarl and whispered, "Why would I need to when you do that enough for the both of us?" Blaise, Pansy, and Theo were the only ones who could hear Hermione's whisper and they all started to choke. Pulling away from the now growling Draco, Hermione flipped her hair over her shoulders, "You might want to run along now – you've been around my filthy muddy blood for too long. I wouldn't you catching a disease from my Mudblood air now."

Ginny and Luna slyly waved at Theo and Blaise who were now choking into their milk filled goblets while Pansy and Draco were sitting where they could face Hermione. The bitch decided that she wanted to face them as well. Draco was stuck – he didn't know what to do. Blaise told all of them about his conversation with Hermione, and he tried to think of every person who would honestly try to help Hermione but feared for his own life, and his mind kept coming up blank. He thought of one person, but it was impossible for Hermione to know him; so Draco couldn't think of anyone. Allowing Pansy to trail her hand over his shoulder, Draco scowled at the laughing birthday witch. He hissed as he watched that stupid albino owl fly into the Great Hall.

"Hades!" Hermione squealed with excitement.

"Mate," Theo kicked Draco, "That's the owl that sent her the letter."

Tensing, Draco watched as Hermione fed the owl a piece of toast then send it to her room. Damn, he can't get to the bloody if it's in her room. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," it was Pansy who answered.

"Who's that from?" Ron asked, poking the large brown box with his fork.

Hermione saw Draco stiffen and she met his eyes. He was listening. "Just a friend," she replied then looked away.

"Is it safe to open it here?" Ginny whispered in Hermione's ear.

Nodding her head, Hermione whispered back, "I warned him that Malfoy was on to him. He knows not to send anything that would give him away."

"Is it more Hot Pockets?" Harry asked eagerly.

Laughing, Hermione shook her head, "I got Pogue's gift this morning and he sent me the box of Hot Pockets for you."

"What did he get for you?" Harry was quite fond of the friend who fed into his obsession of Hot Pockets every once in a while.

"His girlfriend Kate made me a scarlet and gold colored scarf," Hermione grinned, "And he gave me a motorcycle keychain attached to a scarlet and gold leather wallet."

"That's nice," Ron said, more glad to hear that this Pogue bloke had a girlfriend than hearing what Hermione got, "Now open the box."

Laughing as she opened the box to find more individually wrapped boxes, Hermione pulled out a tiny silver wrapped box and frowned. Silver sounded like something that Tyler would get her. Opening it up, she laughed loudly when she pulled out a sterling silver bracelet that said _Little Darling_ on it – there was also three tiny little rune symbols on it. Smiling at the thought of Lindsey sending something to Reid them to deliver for her, Hermione opened the card.

_Happy Birthday, little darling! I saw these protection runes and thought of you. It isn't as powerful as the ones I'm hiding behind, but it's strong enough to protect you! –LM_

Quickly stuffing the card into her bag before anyone could read it and mistake the sender because of the initials, Hermione moved on to the large pink and white polka dotted gift bag. Peeking inside of it, she rolled her eyes and grinned. It was a cream colored tote purse that would be able to fit her school books inside of it without an extension charm. "Ooh," Ginny grinned, grabbing it from her, "This is pretty, who's it from?"

"Sarah."

Ginny nodded her head to show that she remembered Sarah was Caleb's girlfriend. "I like her taste. What's the card say?"

Hermione read it silently first then laughed and read it aloud, "Happy Birthday Hermione! Caleb told me you don't like things like this, but you're a girl; of course you do. I told him he was stupid and didn't know anything. I hope you like it, and if you don't – write to Faith and she'll let me know. I won't let him know that he was right. Love, Sarah."

"That's a really cute bag," Pansy whispered to Draco as she watched Ginny transfer all of Hermione's school books from her usual school bag to the new purse.

_I didn't know what to get a sixteen year old witch, and Sarah insisted you would love the purse so I decided to just give you fifty dollars instead. I found a way to somehow transfer it into your Gringotts account – don't ask me how because I won't tell you – so on your next trip to Hogsmeade, you can just buy yourself something pretty on me. Love, Caleb_

"Oh Caleb," Hermione tried to hold in her laughter, but it didn't work, "You silly, silly boy… thank you."

"I like his gift," Theo whispered to Blaise who nodded in response.

"I like his gift," Ron whispered to Harry, whom was still cradling his box of Hot Pockets and only nodded his head in response.

"Who's this one from?" Ginny asked when Hermione held up a crimson colored leather jacket.

"Tyler," Hermione gasped, pressing it to her skin. "No wonder why Faith told me she loved it in her last letter. I can't believe he brought this for me."

Pansy's eyes widened with jealousy at the jacket, "Her friends have got good taste."

"Something for you to wear when you get down and start to miss me," Hermione laughed again and didn't see the flash of jealousy coming from Draco as he watched her and listened to her reading off her birthday cards, "I'm just playing – sort of! I remembered seeing how much you loved wearing Faith's clothes back in LA, and I thought you needed a pick me up. Wear it when you play with Destiny," Hermione smiled as she thought of Faith. Tyler's words were something that Faith would do. "Besides, a sixteen year old witch would look bad ass in this jacket while hexing someone. You know who I want you to hex. Do it! Caleb and Pogue are backing me up. I love you more than," Hermione laughed at Reid's nickname on this card, "The cranky blonde crybaby. Love, Tyler!"

"The cranky blonde crybaby," Ron questioned, "Who's that?"

Theo and Blaise both gave Draco suspicious looks, but even he was confused. He didn't know anyone named Caleb, Pogue, or Tyler. Nor did he know any Sarahs or Kates. "I don't know," Draco told them with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Just a friend," Hermione grinned, pulling out the final box. It was small and wrapped in brown and white paper.

"Is it safe to open this one?" questioned Ginny in a soft whisper.

Hermione thought about it and saw Draco watching her closely. She nodded her head, "Like I said, he wouldn't say anything stupid. He knows to be careful now."

"Alright then," Ginny said, still sounding unsure of the whole thing. "Read the card to yourself first, though."

Hermione read it to herself silently then read it aloud. The whole Great Hall seemed to be paying close attention to her at this point – even the professors were intrigued at her gifts and cards. "Happy Birthday Sweetheart," Draco growled, but only his three friends noticed it – that was the bloke alright, "Faith told me what you wanted for your birthday, and I didn't think it was enough. I gave you what you wanted, but it's waiting for you in your room along with Faith's box from _that_ group. I saw these and thought of you. I know how much you miss the ones that were taken away from you, and although it's slightly different I hope it's enough. Have a good birthday and just relax for once – you're only sixteen after all. I can't wait until I can see them on you! Love you always, You-Know-Who!"

The Slytherins all scowled at the name and everyone else choked at the irony of the similar signature. Hermione, Ginny, and Luna were the only three who understood that Reid wrote it purposely. "He's definitely a Death Eater," Draco whispered to Pansy. "He signed that on purpose."

"I agree with you," Pansy nodded her head.

"Oh no!"

"What?" Harry finally dropped his precious box of pizza goodness and grabbed the opened box from Hermione. His eyes widened as he held it up. "Whoa! These are nice, Hermione."

"Why would he do that?" Ginny questioned, shaking her head.

Taking in a deep breath, Hermione avoided Draco and took the box back from Harry. "He's making it up to me."

"What is it?" Ron asked.

Shutting her eyes then opening it and breathing deeply, Hermione lifted her gift up for everyone to see it. She didn't have to look up at the Slytherin table to know that Draco had something to do with the slamming doors just a couple of seconds later. "Crimson red blood rubies," Hermione said softly, "To replace the emeralds that I lost."

Moving her hands to her ears, Pansy felt the emeralds that she was wearing and looked up at Blaise and Theo, "It's better this way," she reminded them, though it was evident from her voice that she didn't believe it any more than they did.

Professor McGonagall commented on Hermione's new earrings while all the girls in her class went on about her purse and asked her all about her boyfriend that brought her the earrings. Ginny and Luna were a year younger than her so she didn't have them for support right now, and all Hermione wanted to do was curl into a ball and cry. Ginny took the jacket and old school bag to Hermione's room, along with her cards and all the boxes, but she decided to wear her earrings. Reid brought them for her after all, and she loved them. She wasn't going to allow Draco to ruin everything for her – even if he was sending her heated death glares throughout the entire period. She even caught Theo, Blaise, and Pansy all giving her pitiful head shakes as if they understood something that she didn't.

"Longbottom!" McGonagall barked at a red faced Neville, "Good merlin child, I said to turn your toad into a pig; not give it a claw," the charmed bell rang and McGonagall sighed, "I want a three foot essay about the dangers of a cross-species spell gone wrong by Monday."

Hermione slowly gathered all of her things into her bag. She saw the silver foursome leave the classroom first and she really wasn't in a rush to catch up to them. It was a free period now, and all she wanted to do was get upstairs to the rest of her gifts. Listening to Harry explain to Ron all about the goodness of Hot Pockets, Hermione slowly began to follow them out of the class. Her mind was on the dagger that Ginny didn't transfer into her new bag. She hadn't been without that dagger since the morning that Faith gave it to her, and she missed it. She felt naked without it – she wanted it in her hands once more.

"Those are nice earrings," the mocking tone reached her ears and Hermione sighed while turning around, "They must have cost your friend a fortune."

"Don't you have anything better to do, Malfoy?" Ron said.

Ignoring Ron, Draco continued to stare down at Hermione. He could see the confusion in her eyes and he knew she could see the jealousy in his, but he didn't care. Some other bloke gave her jewelry. The emeralds that he gave her were to represent him, so that he would always be with her – he was in Slytherin and emerald and silver were his colors. He got her the earrings before they left for the holidays, and he got her the pendent for their anniversary. Just because he took them away didn't mean that someone else could replace them with their own stupid colors. "What did you have to do to make him buy them for you, hmm?" Draco asked Hermione with a malicious tone in his voice.

"Draco," Theo hissed, trying to pull his friend away. He knew that Draco was pissed and anything he was about to say would only make everything worse for himself.

Shoving Theo off of him, Draco stalked closer to Hermione, "Hmm Granger – did you flip your little skirt up and bend over a desk for him?"

"Bloody hell-"

"Ron!" Hermione grabbed Ron's hand and stopped him from advancing on Draco. "Seamus, no!" Seamus, Dean, Harry, Ron, and even Neville were all pushing their way through the forming crowd to defend Hermione. "Leave him alone guys," she told her friends, "He isn't worth getting detention for."

"Blimey 'Ermione," Seamus said, "'E said that-"

"I know what he said," Hermione nodded her head. Her eyes were still on Draco, her hand still on Ron's wrist, and her voice cool. "But that's all he does, Seamus. He talks a lot because he can't do anything else."

"You wanna bet?" Draco growled at her.

Keeping her cool, Hermione kept her gaze on his. She could feel the flames in her eyes and she was suddenly glad that Ginny still had her dagger or else it would be sticking out of Draco's heart right now… the same way his own steel colored eyes were piercing through hers. "Do your worst," she challenged him.

"Hermione!" Ginny gasped, running over to her and pulling her away, "Don't!"  
>Looking back at Draco who looked like he would like nothing better than to kill someone, Hermione realized just how serious everything was. This was his game. She was in his territory; they were still playing it by his rules. Annoyed with herself for almost giving in, Hermione looked at Pansy, "At least my earrings were given by someone who actually cares for me, and not just because he's scared he'll be killed for being human."<p>

"Hermione," Ginny hissed, pulling her friend away.

Draco watched them leave, and he released an aggravated grunt. Pushing his way through the receding crowd, he followed after them, "Cares for you?" he scoffed, "Who in their right mind would ever care for you?"

"Malfoy!" Ginny pleaded with him, "Please, just go away."

"Come on, Draco," Blaise tried to tug at his idiotic friend.

Hermione was gritting her teeth to prevent herself from shouting that the earrings were from _his_ brother because _he_ took away her first pair to give it to Pansy. "What's the matter?" Draco said, cocking his head to one side. "No more witty retorts? Just because you've realized that your blood is filthy, didn't mean that you had to wake up and realize how much of a slag you really are-"

"Draco!" Theo saw Hermione opening her hand then shutting it, just to open it again, and he tried to warn his friend.

"-your purpose is to serve us and beneath us-"

"Draco!" Pansy saw that Hermione's teeth were pressing down to the point that everyone was scared the teeth would all shatter at any moment, and she tried to warn Draco to just shut up already.

"-I'll buy you earrings too; let's see if your mouth is really that big-"

"Draco!" Blaise was trying to shut him up as well. Hermione was as white as paper.

"-Hell, I'll even buy you the matching bracelet if it means I get to bend you-"

_THWACK! _Everyone gasped as Draco fell to the ground. Pulling her clenched fist back against her chest, Hermione sat on the boy's chest. Her legs were open and she knew that he had a perfect view of her blue knickers, but she didn't care. Lifting her fist up one more time, she threw her entire body into the punch, and this time her knuckles were painted in blood; the blood of the Death Eater that would try to kill her. "I warned you," Hermione hissed at Draco. Allowing Harry and Ron to pick her up off the body on the ground, Hermione took in Draco's now black eye and his broken, bleeding nose. Flashing a smirk that sent chills down everyone's spine, she curled her mouth, "Game on, Malfoy!"

Glad that boys weren't allowed inside of her room, Hermione thanked Parvati and Lavender for leaving her alone while she sat on her bed. Ginny and Luna were both missing class so that they could keep her company. Draco's blood was still staining her knuckles and her features were still pale. Holding the dagger in her hands, Hermione twirled it the way that she remembered watching Faith do so many times before. Her new jacket was hanging in her wardrobe while her purse sat on the chair next to her bed. The blood colored earrings were glistening like a sinful secret in her ears.

"Let's open the rest of your gifts," Luna said gleefully, trying to get rid of the tension in the room.

Nodding her head, Hermione used the dagger to open the tape on the box. Opening up a rainbow colored bag, she smiled at the picture of the little blue eyed, shaggy haired baby in the frame and placed it on her stand. "A picture of Connor from Connor because he's a baby and can't really get you anything else," Hermione laughed at the card in Faith's handwriting then pulled out a large blue colored baby bottle filled with all sorts of American sweets, "The actual present from Connor because Faith is retarded. Happy birthday Aunty Hermione! Love, Conner!"

Ginny took the two cards in Cordelia's and Faith's handwriting and put them with the rest of Hermione's birthday cards so far. "That's a cute idea."

"I like it," grinned Luna. "The nargles seem to like it too. I've never seen them leave mistletoes before."

Smiling at the naivety of her friend, Hermione opened the next gift. "Faith," she shook her head with a wide grin. "I told you that Destiny needs a friend. Screw what Angel said – I call this little baby right here, Freedom. Click on the button on the side and she opens right up. Be careful, she's dangerous and sharp as hell. I got it made personally for you. Do you see the lion on the blade? I hope you like it – I'll teach you to use it one day. Happy birthday Doll Face! Love, Faith. Oh yeah by the way, she fits inside boots."

Taking the butterfly knife away from the now deviously grinning Hermione, Ginny threw it into the purse, "How… lovely."

"Oh wow!" Hermione gasped, opening her next gift. It was from Spike, and Faith's side note made sense now. "Black leather boots."

Laughing, Luna said, "Now it will match your new jacket and your shorts from two years ago."

"Scarlet, every young and proper lady needs hooker heels. I don't support heels, but I got you hooker boots. Don't tell Faith what I call them; they're somewhat similar to hers. I know you'll love it. Do not ever call me a baby again or I will drain you of all your blood. Well happy birthday, lots of mushy stuff – William," grinning, Hermione laughed then put down the dagger. "Oh, William..."

"There's more," Ginny said, pulling out another box.

Opening it up, Hermione gasped then pulled out a faux fur scarlet colored blanket. "Happy birthday Hermione, I hope you love it. I'm tired of hearing you always complaining about it being freezing while you're in school. Happy birthday hun – Love, Cordy and Angel."

"This feels so good," Ginny exclaimed, rubbing it against her face. "Feel it Luna."

Rubbing the blanket on her cheek, Luna purred, "Oooh."

Hermione allowed Ginny to take over putting everything away while she opened up three unread letters that were left at the bottom of the box. Thanking Luna for placing a silencing spell on the room, Hermione read them aloud while Luna lied down next to her.

_Little Darling,_

_ I'm searching hard for it, but I can't seem to find anything on it yet. Why were there tears on your letter? Are you alright? I didn't risk my own life for you to not be alright! Is there anything else that you can find out about this item? Just give me a list of random items inside the shop if you have to… I need some sort of clue as to what I'm looking for. I made my spells so that Reid and Faith's owls can reach me now too. If you need to, you can write to them and they'll get to me._

_ -LM_

"Do you remember what was in the shop?" Ginny asked.

"No," Hermione shook her head then read the next letter.

_Sweetheart,_

_ If you ever try to guilt trip me into writing to you again I will stab you with your own Destiny. If you ever write to me with a tear covered paper and speak to me like that again, I will kill my brother while forcing you to watch! Do not tempt me! _

"That's lovely," Luna frowned.

_Now I didn't write for a good reason. You'll understand soon enough. I don't want to say anything in case you're stupid enough to let Draco find it again. How on earth do you lose a letter in the first place? Don't do anything foolish! Don't aggravate him and don't push him to want to hurt you! If you're right and he broke up with you to protect you then there's still hope for him-_

"Not anymore," Hermione snickered. "The blood on my hand tells me that I broke his nose."

_-so just keep out of his way until I can figure something out. And what's this about me shagging Faith because of a deal? I want details about how promising this is. Oh, right – and if I ever have to find out about Draco almost being sent to Azkaban or you trying to solve something that will most likely get you killed through a letter that you wrote to Lindsey, again, I will… I'll break your wand in half. Stop being stupid. I still want to hear about everything. I hope you had a happy birthday!_

_ Love, Reid_

"He's crazy," Ginny shook her head.

"He has his moments," Luna suggested.

"I love him," Hermione sighed contently. "Do you think he'll really kill Draco if I write to him with an attitude and tears?"

Rolling her eyes, Ginny thrust the third letter into Hermione's hands, "Stop sounding so hopeful and read the last letter."

_Scarlet!_

_ You are a bloody twit! Do not ever call me a baby again! I'm not sulking! There's a good reason I haven't replied to you! Here's your bloody birthday letter. Buffy and I are fine. I helped save the world again. I don't know if anyone told you that I was dead for a month? I don't know how I came back, but I did it – I saved the world from a bloody apocalypse. All on my own! Well Buffy helped I guess, but it was my sacrifice that made it work! I told you not to trust Mini Me. I still don't like him. I'm going to bite him when I meet him._

_ -Bloody freaking William_

"Drama Queen," Hermione stated, but ended up smiling. She was just about to stand up when a new owl flew into her room. "Who sent that?"

"I don't know," Luna and Ginny both shrugged.

Accepting the tiny box, the three girls watched as the owl flew right back out of the window. "Bloody twat!" Hermione suddenly hissed.

"Are these…" Ginny trailed off as she held the emerald earrings up in the air.

_Granger,_

_ Don't let him know I sent these to you or that I'm writing to you. I don't love him – not like that at least. Hell, I haven't even snogged him or shagged him, nor have I thought of it. My father is planning on selling me to the highest bidder on my seventeenth birthday to become a Death Eater's prized bride. I hold onto Draco so that way no one here will bid on me. Draco isn't the only one in Hogwarts, so you really need to be more careful. Obviously he won't hurt you, but someone else will. I never wanted the earrings and I gave him the pendent back. I only wore these because he wants you to believe that he moved on. There are things that you don't understand, and things that I cannot tell you, but he still loves you. You know I would never lie about something as serious as this. We can't all loudly voice our sides of this war._

_ By the way, I like your jacket and purse. Your friends have good taste. And I think these earrings look better on you. Keep them safely hidden until you're able to wear them again! And happy birthday!_

Hermione, Ginny, and Luna all had dropped jaws as they continued to read the letter as if reading it over would make the words change. But they didn't change. Hermione was holding a letter from Pansy Parkinson in her hands, and in the letter she had compliments, warnings, and a wish for a happy birthday. And she had her earrings back. Thinking back to the night in _Caritas, _Hermione felt the tears drip onto her letter. It was starting again.

This was the moment. It was time to study! Only one of them would make it out alive unless they found a way to beat the laws of logic.

**A/N: The whole 'knife' thing in here may seem a bit morbid seeing as how Brycen was killed by a knife, but remembering him, he would laugh it off and think the name is pretty killah(: Micah would be honored that Hermione stood up for herself and licked Draco, and Mouse would crack up at the way Hermione just drops the lines(: I wrote this chapter before Brycen was killed, but re-reading it then posting it up after coming home from his funeral, I'm shocked to see that it falls in perfectly to honor them! I know Micah would be pleased at least – he was always encouraging me to write, and he once threatened me that he would steal one of my stories and get it published under his own name and take all the credit for it when I took one of his fries! Haha – sorry I'm going to go cry at old pictures and reminisce right now. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter(:**


	5. Stuffed Hippogriffs

**A/N: I tend to ramble. I am a 'rambler' if you will! And I am also an idiot! I was about 15 chapters deep into this story and working on the 16th chapter last night… well technically 1 this morning… when I got a text message. Now if you've read my A/N's for the previous chapter then you would know of the murders of 3 of my friends since September, and how the 17th was the funeral for one of them. Well 1 this morning, I was writing and I got a text message. I checked on my facebook to verify and sure enough – another one of my boys was killed just last night. Shocked from the news and not paying attention to what I was doing, instead of saving I somehow deleted the entire story! And I can't find my flashkey thingy that I had it saved on. So now I'm rewriting this entire story and I can't promise how often I'll be writing them out now. I'm too in shock.**

**Jason and I weren't close, but we did have our hangout moments – he's the same age as me and I met him through my brother who's 2 years younger than me. Jason and my brother went to the same high school and they both fought for MMA so they trained together for a while, and Jason was really close with my brother's girlfriend's group of friends. He was a cool kid –a good kid in his own way and now I'm finding out that I'm never going to have another random run in with him or see one of his secret grins and his shaka while screaming out my name.**

**So anyway onto a lighter note: thank you to those of you who showed your concern for Micah, Mouse, and Brycen. I never imagined that only 2 days after posting up that chapter I would add another name to that list :/ and also; **_**23Nelly**_** – I'm so glad to see your name popping up in my reviews again! I'm honored to be your first. I was your first Draco/OC story ever and now I'm your first crossover story ever! I'm honored and only hope that this story meets your expectations quite like **_**When I'm Alone With You **_**did!(:**

**So anywho, moving on from my slight ranting here's the chapter that I rewrote while in shock and crying.**

Stuffed Hippogriffs

Draco was staring at Hermione again. Three weeks had passed since her birthday, and they were enemies once again. After leaving Madam Pomfrey, Draco walked into his second period and Hermione was shooting daggers at him with her eyes. He opened his mouth to say something to her, but Pansy yanked him into the seat next to her, and he noticed that the earrings were missing. He wanted to question it, but in all honesty Draco was glad to see they were gone. They weren't meant for Pansy and it looked odd on her ears for all those weeks. Every day since then, Hermione would glare at him and he would push into her like he used to. All of the Gryffindors would laugh at him as they thought back to Hermione breaking his nose, and the professors would try to keep a close eye on them. Things were worse than before they started to secretly date.

This particular morning, Hermione was laughing at something that Neville and Seamus just told her, and Draco noticed that Harry and Ron were missing. Since her birthday, Hermione always wore her boots; black with spiked heels and it had a zipper all the way up to her knees. Her hair was tamed again and her skirt was short again because she wanted to show off her boots. Her tie was loose and her robe was opened up and loose. Draco growled into his spoonful of porridge. She dressed sexier now than she did while they were together. The purse was sitting on the table next to Hermione, and the blood colored jewels were taunting Draco from her ears while the silver of her cross and her bracelet tried to blind him.

"C'mon 'Ermione," Seamus said, helping Hermione to stand up, "We'll walk with you to class. Malfoy is staring again and we don't know where Ron and 'Arry are."

"Thanks guys," Hermione smiled and followed her two friends out, not bothering to look back at the scowling Draco. It was no secret – Hermione Granger grew up and was a woman now. Biting her lip as she thought about it, Hermione laughed to herself. Hogwarts had no idea just how much Hermione Granger grew up.

"It's no problem," Neville grinned. "So what did you write your Charms paper on?" he asked her.

"The-"

Draco bumped into Hermione's shoulder and smirked as her purse dropped to the floor. "Watch it, Mudblood."

"Beat it Malfoy!" Seamus warned the blonde Slytherin, tightly gripping his wand.

Thanking Neville for picking up her things, Hermione cocked an eyebrow at Draco. "Are you done yet, Malfoy? I'm tired that's why, you see, and I want to attempt stay awake in class, but when I want to sleep during the lesson I'll come to you to hear more of your insults."

Hearing Seamus and Neville snickering, Draco's blood began to boil. "I said it before Granger, you got a big mouth – how much to see how good it is?"

Making an obvious show of eying Draco's crotch area, Hermione smirked again. Draco's own smirk faltered at the sight of it. He didn't know who taught her how to do that, but he was going to thank them then kill them. Hermione was extremely sexy when she did that. "Sorry, love," Hermione cocked an eyebrow up at Draco, "But my mum told me to never put small things in my mouth."

"And she beats you again," Seamus chuckled, "C'mon, 'Ermione."

Draco was scarlet colored in the face when he walked into their Charms class. Instead of sitting between Ron and Harry, like she used to always do before, Hermione was now sitting between Seamus and Neville. The three of them all looked at the blonde as he entered the classroom and started snickering loudly while Hermione raised her eyebrow, challenging Draco to do anything else to her. Draco only scowled and took his usual seat between Blaise and Pansy, who were both trying their hardest not to laugh – it seemed to be something that his friends did a lot nowadays; trying not to laugh at something that Hermione said as if she were the most funniest person alive. It was as if Draco was the only one who could see what Hermione's comebacks truly were –words aimed to hurt him the way he hurt her. He broke her heart, so in turn she decided to break him. There was no way in hell that Draco would allow Hermione to know it, but it was working. She was winning their games of words, but he refused to let her win anything else.

"You really need to stop giving her more fuel to light you up with," Blaise chuckled into Draco's ear with a low whisper.

"Shut up," Draco hissed through clenched teeth.

"Right," tiny little Professor Flitwick announced to the class with a clearing cough of his throat, "Today, I'm going to break you off into pairs. I want you to try to levitate your partners. I want to see if this past week's lessons of flying furniture has worked out well enough for you lot. When I call out your names please find a section in the room to practice. Borengasser and Elderts, Iona and Arruda – Mr. Iona please do not slam your partner into Mr. Borengasser-" Flitwick groaned as the tall, dark, and short haired boy flew the lanky Filipino boy with bleached spikes into the caramel colored pretty boy who refused to take off his sunglasses, "Mr. Elderts take off that ridiculous hat and walk over to your partner."

Hermione glanced over at the group of four boys who were now loudly laughing and she shook her head with a small grin. "What is Professor Flitwick thinking putting those boys together?" she whispered to Seamus with an amused tone. "They'll never get any work done now."

Rolling his eyes in response, Seamus listened for his name, "Potter and Longbottom, Nott and Weasley," Ron groaned while Harry grinned to himself then gave his friend an apologetic shrug of his shoulders, "Finnigan and Parkinson," Seamus winked while Pansy blushed. "Goyle and Brown, Patil and Crabbe, Malfoy and Zabini," if Draco hadn't been paying close attention, he wouldn't have noticed the small whimper of relief that Hermione had been able to pass off as nothing. "And that leaves Miss Granger with Mr. Thomas."

Other than the occasional misspell from one of the students that had their partners tripping over their own feet, the lesson was going quite well. It took Hermione only two tries before she was successfully zooming a green faced Dean Thomas across the room with such a quick grace that it was hard to determine if she was being gentle or trying to see how quickly she could get him to vomit. "_Levicorpus_!" the sudden scream from Neville had even Hermione dropping Dean to the ground with a loud thud and turning to see where Harry now had Neville dangling in the air by his ankles while his robes fell all along his face.

"Harry," Hermione gasped, flying both hands to her mouth.

_"Granger," Draco kept his glistening eyes on her, "They're after __muggles,__" Hermione's heart skipped. He hadn't called her a Mudblood. Granted there was a sneer in his voice, but he hadn't insulted her. "Do you want to be showing off your knickers in midair? Because if you do, hang around… they're moving this way and it would give us all a laugh."_

_ Hermione turned around and saw that Mrs. Roberts was hanging upside down with her nightgown falling and her knickers showing. She blushed at the idea of Malfoy talking about her knickers, but Harry didn't seem to notice anything. "Hermione's a witch," he defended her._

_ "Have it your own way, Potter," Draco said, grinning maliciously. "If you think they can't spot a Mudblood, stay where you are."_

Thinking back to the night of the World Cup when the Death Eaters attacked the Roberts' family, Hermione remembered how Draco warned them that the Death Eaters were searching for her in a way that had been so cryptic, she would have thought they were insults if she hadn't seen Reid in Draco's eyes and remembered all that she learned over that summer. The spell that Harry was now performing on Neville was the very same spell that the Death Eaters had performed on Mrs. Roberts, forcing her to show off her knickers to the entire camping site. Running across the room Hermione tugged on Harry's arms until he released the now red faced Gryffindor while blundering over his apologies. Neville shrugged it off, but Harry still insisted on helping him stand back up and gather all his things as Professor Flitwick dismissed the class. With a quick glance over her shoulders, Hermione groaned. It seems like Draco and his little band of confusing misfits also recognized the spell from the Death Eaters, and from the fear in all of their eyes it became evident that it was a spell that the Death Eaters loved to use frequently.

"I really am sorry, Dean," Hermione apologized once more as they sat in the Great Hall, eating lunch.

Shaking his head, Dean continued to rub his backside where he was still throbbing in pain, and flashed a weak smile, "I told you I'm fine," he insisted. "Don't worry about it, Hermione. I'm just shocked that you were able to be caught off guard. Normally, nothing's able to break into your concentration when you're working on a spell."

Hermione blushed. "I just wasn't expecting to hear Neville scream out like that."

Now it was Harry's turn to blush and he turned to Neville, "Sorry about that, mate."

"It's alright Harry," Neville grinned through a mouthful of strawberry tart.

"Harry," Hermione whispered once she was sure that everyone else had emerged into their own conversations once again, "That spell – where did you find it?"

"In my book," Harry gave Hermione a quick over then sighed when he saw her blanch, "Oh come off it, Hermione, the spell is harmless, I just don't know how to master it yet."

"Don't you remember," Hermione's eyes were widely filled with fear that she knew he could see, "The night of the World Cup – the spell that the Death Eaters were using on the Roberts?"

Thinking back to that night two years before, Harry gasped then quickly shook his head. "No!" he jumped up, causing a few heads to turn towards them. "I know what you're thinking, Hermione, and you're wrong! The Half-Blood Prince isn't a Death Eater. In case you forgot, they don't exactly accept anyone whose blood isn't pure, remember?"

"But that spell, Harry..."

Harry's retort was soon cut off by the sound of a screeching owl bursting through the doors, and everyone turned to Hermione as if expecting her to claim the interrupting owl, but this time it didn't fly to her. Pansy and Blaise were the only two who saw the sudden fear in the young witch's eyes however when she recognized the owl as it landed in front of Draco. Ginny and Luna seemed to notice it too because soon they were both moving towards Hermione and glaring at Harry as he sat back down. Everyone was interested to see who was delivering something to Draco before the post day.

"Isn't that-?"

Hermione nodded her head before Luna even had to finish asking her question, "-William's owl."

"But why would he-?"

"I don't know," Hermione interrupted Ginny, trying to get a better look at the cream colored owl with caramel spots along its feathers and eyes the color of a soulless heart.

Confused as to why an owl that he had never seen before would be sticking its leg out to give him a small box, Draco accepted it. Offering the owl a piece of bacon, he didn't notice it stopping at the Gryffindor table to give the pale colored Hermione Granger a quick peck of affection before flying out the of Great Hall. All of Gryffindor noticed it though, along with the professors, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and two very watchful Slytherins. Theo seemed to be too amazed with the box in Draco's hands to notice anything else. Blaise and Pansy exchanged worried looks at the sudden fear in Draco's eyes.

"What?" Pansy asked, reaching over and grabbing the box from his hands. "What is it?" pulling out a tiny stuffed hippogriff the size of her hand, Pansy frowned. She was confused. "I don't get it," she said, "Is there a letter with it?"

"No," Theo shook his head.

"What's today?" Draco asked. Any little color that may have once haunted his face was now clearly gone and his voice had turned into a slight squeak. If he bothered to look right across from him, he would have seen that his ex-girlfriend's features mirrored his to the tee, "The date?"

Blaise gasped first. Pansy answered, "It's October eighth. Why?" it took Theo a while, but soon he was gasping as well.

"_Incendio_!"jumping off the bench, Draco ignored the sudden screeches from all around him and he pretended that he couldn't hear the headmaster or the professors calling after him as he shakily made his way out of the Great Hall.

Blaise elbowed Theo who looked up at Hermione and he saw the guilt mixed with fear in her eyes as she watched the stuffed hippogriff burning to nothing more than ashes as Professor Snape tried to put it out. "Do you think she knows?"

"No way," Theo whispered back to Blaise. "Draco never would've told her about it."

"The owl flew over to her," Blaise said, "Pansy and I both saw it."

"Well if she knows anything then it's only that he used to sleep with a stuffed hippogriff," Theo shook his head. "Maybe he told her that much and she thought it would be funny to embarrass him in the Great Hall today for all the shit he's put her through."

"But for him to get it on _this_ day?" Blaise's voice was pressing for an answer. "Do you know what today is?"

"Of course I do," Theo rolled his eyes. "It's probably just some weird coincidence."

Oblivious to the watchful gaze of the three curious Slytherins, Hermione excused herself and ran out of the Great Hall, claiming that she needed to study at the library. Once she was sure that no one was following her though, she made a beeline for the owlry. Her owl was still with Reid, but she knew that Hedwig would be up for the trip. She's used Hedwig only twice before, and each time Hedwig was more than glad to do so. Harry didn't seem to mind it either and he even stopped asking who Hermione was constantly writing to – he figured that she would tell him when she was ready to, and Hermione only prayed that she would never be ready to. The truth wasn't easy for her to hear and she doubted that he would accept the news any better. Harry tended to be a drama queen when it came to his friends' lives.

"Watch where – oh, it's you."

Following the path of the toffee colored barn owl that was now making its way out of the owlry, Hermione found herself chest to chest with Draco. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm making tea," Draco scoffed.

"No need to be all snippy with me," Hermione scowled, moving away from him and walking over towards Hedwig who seemed excited to see her, "No one's around, Malfoy. You don't need to a complete arse right now."

"Sorry," Draco sighed. "How have you been?"

Looking away from the blank parchment and dripping quill that she had just pulled out, Hermione quirked an eyebrow at the nervous looking boy and she spat out, "But you don't have to pretend to care either. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a letter to write."

Draco released a sound that was crossed between a whimper and hiss, and sounded somewhat like a – like a… a… screeching iron? "Yes, wouldn't want you to delay in sending a letter out to your boyfriend, eh?"

"What?" looking up at Draco as if he lost his mind, Hermione snorted. He definitely looked the part.

"Your boyfriend," Draco accused her. "Tell me, Granger – how long did it take for you to find your _Sweetheart_ after I dumped you?"

"Dumped me?" Hermione's eyes narrowed and Hedwig flew away from the girl in fear, "After you dumped me? Oh I'm sorry, Malfoy – is that what you did? You dumped me? Excuse me for being confused. See I thought that you were just a coward who was too scared to face me so you stole my jewels then shagged Parkinson."

"I didn't-"

Hermione cut Draco off with a wave of her hand. She knew that he hadn't done anything with Parkinson – she still had the letter in her bag after all – but she had to keep up the pretenses. The letter said specifically to not Draco him know anything, "And whom I write to is none of your concern."

"It is when he's calling you _Sweetheart_ and telling you that I'm a – a…" Draco's voice trailed off, but Hermione knew what he meant so she nodded her head at him to continue from a point where he would be comfortable. "Who are you talking to, Granger?"

"First of all," Hermione hissed at him, "What he calls me shouldn't bother you. After all you did dump me, did you not?" she asked him in a mocking tone that had Draco clenching his fists. "And second of all, he only told me what you couldn't. Maybe if you had only been honest with me from the beginning, then I would have understood, but now-"

Hermione immediately stopped talking when she heard loud footsteps approaching them. Draco seemed to have heard them too because he stared at her with apprehension then shot her a nasty glare with a smirk that she understood to mean that he felt as if he had just won this war. Her smirk out beat his though and Hermione flipped her tamed hair over her shoulder in a smug way, which had Draco's own look faltering for a bit. They were prepared to shoot a hex at each other if they had to, but instead of a stranger running towards them it was their own little in crowds. Ginny was standing awfully close to Blaise, while Luna and Theo looked as if they had been holding hands while running, and Pansy looked lonely.

"We thought you two might have killed each other already," Ginny sighed with relief, quickly moving away from Blaise while Theo and Luna were suddenly standing with Pansy between them.

"We ran into the girls while they were looking for you, Hermione, and once they said that you were writing a letter, we started to run," Theo informed the confused looking witch in question.

Nodding her head, Hermione held up the blank piece of parchment. "I haven't gotten around to it yet."

Blaise, sensing the tension around them, cleared his throat, "So… erm… Hermione, did you do your report on muggle wars yet?"

"What class is that for?" Luna asked, also trying to clear away the tension.

"Muggle Studies," Theo grinned. "I did mine on the Nazis. They sound kind of like Death Eaters in a way. Only instead of rounding up and killing off all the muggles, they were killing off the Jewish people."

Draco flinched at his friend's choice of words, and Pansy elbowed the now blushing Theo while Hermione grinned. If Draco wanted to hit her with low blows and try to knock her down, it was only fair if she did the same. "I'm doing mine on the _Roman _empire."

Ginny and Luna shared a confused look with Pansy as Draco began to choke on nothing. Theo began patting Draco's back while Blaise shot the now smirking witch a curious look. It was impossible for her to know anything, yet he caught the emphasis she put on that one word. Draco seemed to be thinking that it was too much weird coincidences for one day by the way he shook his head and complained about a headache while leaving the owlry, but Blaise knew it was something else. It wasn't a coincidence. Hermione knew something, and by the look in her eyes as she matched his gaze, Blaise understood for a moment what it was. Hermione knew something that she was protecting Draco from – a secret that she kept in ever since her summer in LA, but if Draco kept shooting her the way he had been, she would stab him slowly; torturing him with the information she knew. Blaise didn't know what Hermione knew, but whatever it was – it was deadly.

"You're going to be late for Potions," Luna told Hermione suddenly.

"Hold on," Hermione shook her head, "I need to send this out."

_Reid, you idiot! You nearly gave him a heart attack! This isn't a bloody game for you to play with him. Lives are on the line. Yes, I know it's your birthday and you're ascended now, but it doesn't give you the right to send him such a thing. You should have seen the look on his face – he's broken and he doesn't need you reminding him that he's going to have to kill you as well. I thought you were better than Lucius, but what you did proved you no better than a Malfoy. I'm actually ashamed of you right now!_

Sending the letter off with Hedwig, Hermione followed her two friends out of the owlry and gasped. Suddenly she remembered things from previous letters that she hadn't truly paid attention to before. What did Spike mean that he was going to bite Draco when he met him? Why would she understand soon enough how Caleb was able to put money into her Gringotts account? How would Faith be able to teach her how to use her Freedom soon enough? "Oh shit!"

"What?" both Ginny and Luna jumped up, still not quite used to the vulgar mouthed version Hermione.

"They're on their way to Hogwarts," Hermione gasped. "The hippogriff was a warning for both of us. Reid's coming for Draco."

**A/N: When Professor Flitwick breaks the class into groups, I decided to have a little tribute to my boys. (Micah Borengasser, Kollin (Mouse) Elderts, Brycen Iona and Jason Arruda) –I hope you guys don't mind(: -and to anyone who reads this and knows them, tell me not: can you picture Micah without his shades or Mouse without his hat? And although Jason never went to school with them aside from Brycen (then again Brycen did go to KIS with Micah and they were boys) the 4 of them would have been the class clowns and I somewhat described them correctly(: -this chapter is mostly how I had it before; the only difference is that this time I added in the 4 OC's.**


	6. Cursed Necklaces

Cursed Necklaces

Hermione had been worried over the next couple of weeks about when her friends would make a grand entrance. She wrote to both Tyler and Faith to see if they knew anything about it, but they seemed to be making it a point to avoid her questions as best as possible. It didn't help that Harry was freaking out about Dumbledore being missing, or knowing that Blaise was trying his best to stalk her throughout the entire castle as if just expecting her to slip up and show him what she was trying to hide. Draco seemed to be the only one who didn't suspect Hermione of sending him the hippogriff and thought that it was just some weird coincidence that she happened to know the name of the stuffed hippogriff that he used to spend all his nights sleeping with when he was a scared child. Blaise thought differently though and he was almost determined to find out the truth.

Finally Halloween came around and they were set to go on their first trip into Hogsmeade for the year. That morning, Hermione woke up to a slightly stormy looking sky. Hearing Lavender and Parvati going over their plans for the day, she decided to wash up already. Half an hour later she was still red in the face from the heated shower and back in her room, getting dressed. Seeing as how it was cold outside, Hermione slipped on long faded looking blue jeans and a tan colored turtleneck. The jeans hugged her legs whereas the turtleneck hugged her chest, giving the impression that she was in fact a woman who grew. Slipping a pair of black fuzzy socks over her feet, Hermione zipped up her boots. Lavender and Parvati gave her a look of approval before leaving the room, and Hermione giggled. Never in her life would she think that she would appreciate looks of approval from the two 'easier girls of Hogwarts,' but it was nice to know that they admired the way she looked. Giving herself a quick glance over in the mirror, Hermione put on the black eyeliner that she tried her best to always remember these days and tamed her hair once more.

Minutes later, Hermione was sitting in the Great Hall. The scarf from Kate was wrapped around her throat while she looked cozy in her leather jacket. The purse that she didn't go anywhere without was sitting on the table next to her while she ate her porridge and kippers. Hearing the chatter approaching her, she looked up and saw her two best friends walking towards her with Neville, Seamus, and Dean. Harry and Ron were wearing their Weasley jumpers from the Christmas before, with their cloaks, scarves, and gloves. Looking down at her own hands, Hermione didn't regret the choice she made to not wear any gloves. Destiny was tucked away neatly inside of her purse since the day Ginny put her in there while Freedom was warm and beating like heated flesh between her sock and left ankle. Hermione tugged down on the black colored beanie that was keeping her head warm.

"… and then there was another flash of light and I landed on the bed again!" Ron grinned, helping himself to more sausages.

Hermione didn't smile at all as Ron explained how he was rudely woken up by Harry practicing the Death Eaters' own personal levitation spell in their room this morning. She stared at Harry with an expression of wintry disapproval, but said nothing. Harry already made it known how he didn't think that he using this book to cheat was any different from her confounding Cormac to ensure a spot on the team for Ron. "What's with the biker look?" Harry asked Hermione suddenly.

Ron looked away from his overflowing plate and stared at Hermione who was now a little scarlet colored in the face. "Oi!" Ron whispered, not wanting to gain any unwanted attention. "Why are you dressed like Lavender and Parvati?"

"I am not," Hermione hissed at Ron. Just because she liked knowing that they approved of the way she dressed and looked didn't mean that she wanted to be grouped in with them. "It looks like it's going to storm today," she told them, "And this is warm."

"You look like one of those biker birds," Harry chuckled at the disapproving glare in Hermione's eyes. "Do you have a Harley somewhere in Hogsmeade waiting for us?"

Rolling her eyes, Hermione opened her mouth, but Ron beat her to it, "Harley?" he questioned with an icy tone. "Who's Harley?"

"It's a muggle motorcycle," Hermione explained to the annoyed looking redhead. "And I do not see anything wrong with my outfit, Harry. Or biker birds," Faith was a biker bird and she was a good person. She saved the world many times, after all.

"Why are you looking so much like a girl all of a sudden?" Ron blurted out.

"What did you just say?" everyone who was sitting close enough to them suddenly scooted down the bench as Hermione picked up the knife that had been close within her reach. "I_ am _a girl, Ronald! And I thought that you would have learned that during the Yule Ball. Or have you forgotten the way that all the males in the room gawked at me all night? Including yourself!"

Ron began to stammer while the tips of his ears burned as red as his hair. Harry shook his head, not wanting to undergo the wrath of his best friend right now. Luckily for them, Ginny chose that moment to jump in and save her idiot of a brother. "Hey Harry," she approached them, "I'm supposed to give you this."

Accepting the rolled up parchment, Harry opened it up and quickly read it to himself. "Thanks Ginny," he looked over at Hermione who was still scowling at Ron, and Ron who was avoiding making any eye contact with an equally scowling Ginny. "Monday evening!" Harry said, knowing that Hermione and Ron would understand what he meant. Suddenly he had a look of appreciation on his face and Hermione saw something else flash through his eyes as he looked at Ginny. "Want to join us in Hogsmeade, Ginny?"

"I'm going with Dean," Hermione saw the way that Ginny chanced a quick glance at Blaise who wasn't even paying attention to them this morning. "Might see you there," Ginny sighed then left with a wave.

Deciding to just ignore Ron's idiocy for the moment, Hermione followed the two boys out of the Great Hall. Her eyes landed on the Slytherin table and she saw that Draco was missing this morning – something that she's noticed since the stuffed hippogriff incident. But the oddest thing was that Blaise wasn't carefully watching her. Even Theo and Pansy seemed to be lost in their thoughts about something. Turning away from them, Hermione frowned when she saw Dean with his fingers clamped inside of Ginny's. Poor Ginny – it was obvious that she was in love with Blaise. Ginny, Luna, Blaise, and Theo were the only ones who knew about Hermione's secret affair with Draco, and they would sometimes hang out with them, allowing the four single friends to become close. Somewhere along the way, Ginny began to crush on Blaise while Luna giggled more than often with Theo. Hermione and Draco both thought that it was cute; the idea of their best friends dating each other.

After the way that Draco broke Hermione though, they all fell apart. Theo and Luna would both steal glances and wave at each other when no one was watching them while Blaise and Ginny did the same, but it was different now and they all knew it. Dean asked Ginny out over the summer holidays and she turned him down because she was holding out hope for Blaise, but when Blaise began to slowly distant himself, Ginny gave in to Dean's begging. Hermione remembered seeing the smile falter on Blaise's face for a quick second as Theo quickly searched the area to make sure that Luna was by herself on the morning that Ginny and Dean entered the Great Hall holding hands. It wasn't Ginny's fault – she only wanted to be loved. After that, Blaise seemed even more distant, making it his life goal to catch Hermione in some big secret.

"What does it matter if we're smuggling Dark stuff OUT?" demanded Ron as they reached the doors to leave Hogwarts. Filch was standing there like he usually does while checking off the names of the people who were leaving, but this time it was taking longer than usual. He was triple checking everyone with his Secrecy Sensor. "Surely you ought to be checking what we bring back IN?" Ron remarked, eying the long stick with apprehension. His remark earned him a few extra jabs in the cheek and he was still wincing when they stepped out into the wind and sleet.

Hermione caught Harry wrapping his scarf over his lower face, as if trying to bring back feeling to the now reddened and exposed parts. The road to the village was full of students bent double against the bitter wind. Hermione began to wonder whether they would be better off in the warmth of their own common rooms, but then she would remind herself that she needed a break from the confining walls of the castle and that the chilling nips from the wind was enough to wake her up and remind her that everything was real. Ron and Harry began sputtering about something – tugging Hermione from her thoughts – she didn't have to be an O.W.L in Occlumency to know that they were taking that as a foreboding warning that this trip wouldn't be fun when she saw that they were staring at the boarded up Zonko's Joke Shop. Allowing Harry and Ron to both pull on her hands, Hermione followed them into the welcoming warmth of Honeydukes.

"Thank Merlin," shivered Ron as they were enveloped by the warm, toffee-scented air. "Let's stay here all afternoon."

"Harry, m'boy!" said a booming voice from behind them.

"Oh no," muttered Harry. The three of them turned to see Professor Slughorn, who was wearing an enormous furry hat and an overcoat with matching fur collar, clutching a large bag of crystalized pineapples, and occupying at least a quarter of the shop.

"Harry, that's three of my little suppers you've missed now!" Slughorn said, poking him genially in the chest. "It won't do m'boy, I'm determined to have you. Miss Granger loves them, don't you?"

"Yes," Hermione said helplessly when she saw all three staring at her for an answer. In all honesty, she didn't know what happened in the suppers because her mind was always too busy trying to figure out why Reid hasn't shown up yet. "They're really-"

"So why don't you come along, Harry?" demanded Slughorn, cutting off an appreciative Hermione.

"Well I've had Quidditch practice, Professor," Harry did in fact have Quidditch practice every time that Slughorn had one of his little supper parties only because he would schedule it every time Slughorn would send him one of those violet ribbon-adorned invitations. This allowed Ron to not feel left out, and they often spent their nights laughing as they imagined Hermione being stuck with Cormac and Blaise. Ginny told Hermione all about it, and in the end they were the ones laughing. If only they knew that Cormac stayed away from Hermione and before the whole Blaise becoming obsessed with catching her thing – they were actually very good friends.

"Well, I certainly expect you to win your first match after all this hard work!" Slughorn told Harry. "But a little recreation never hurt anybody. Now, how about Monday night, you can't possibly want to practice in this weather…"

"I can't, Professor," Hermione held in her giggles at the sight of Harry trying to hide his relief. "I've got – er – an appointment with Professor Dumbledore that evening."

"Unlucky again!" cried Slughorn dramatically. "Ah, well… you can't evade me forever, Harry."

Ron continued to sulk about still not being invited to any of Slughorn's meetings, so Hermione and Harry tried their hardest to show interest in nearly everything in the shop. Hermione even brought loads of the new extra-large sugar quills that she remembered hearing Ron say he wanted to try because they last hours instead of the other ones. When their distractions proved to be futile though, Harry suggested that they go to the Three Broomsticks for butterbeers so they could warm up.

Hermione thought she caught a glimpse of Draco scurrying out from the side of two arguing men right outside of the Three Broomsticks, but Harry's shout of "Mudungus!" had her turning away from the familiar blonde strands and staring at a squat, bandy-legged man with long, straggly, ginger hair.

"Oh, 'ello, 'Arry," said Mundungus Fletcher who jumped into the air and dropped an ancient suitcase, which burst open and revealed what looked like the entire contents of a junk shop window. "Well, don't let me keep ya."

Hermione stared at all of the stuff scattered onto the road as Mundungus tried his best to hurry as he picked everything back up and tried stuffing them into the suitcase. "Are you selling this stuff?" Harry questioned.

"Oh, well gotta scrape a living," Mundungus countered then shouted, "Give me that!"

Hermione turned to see Ron bending over and picking up something silver. "Hang on," he slowly said, "This is looks familiar-"

"Thank you!" said Mundungus, snatching the goblet out of Ron's hand and stuffing it back into the case. "Well, I'll see you all – OUCH!"

Hermione gasped as she watched Harry pin Mundungus against the wall of the pub by the throat. Holding him fast with one hand, Harry pulled out his wand. "Harry!" she squealed.

"You took that from Sirius's house," hissed Harry, who was almost nose to nose with Mundungus. Hermione crinkled her nose as she saw Harry breathing in Mundungus's scent. She knew that if she could smell the unpleasant scent of old tobacco and spirits then so could he. "That had the Black family crest on it."

"I – no – what –?" Mundungus was spluttering and slowly turning purple.

"What did you do, go back the night he died and strip the place?" snarled Harry.

"I – no –"

"Give it to me!"

"Harry, you mustn't!" Hermione shrieked when she saw that Mundungus was starting to turn blue. She didn't agree with Mundungus stealing things from Sirius as soon as he was killed, but she didn't think that her old father-like-mentor would have wanted his only godson to murder someone. Sirius wouldn't have wanted Harry to become a murderer at all.

There was a bang and Hermione watched as Harry flew backwards. Gasping and spluttering as he was released, Mundungus seized his fallen case then – _CRACK_ – he disapparated. Hearing Harry swear, Hermione continued to watch as he shouted, "COME BACK, YOU THIEVING-"

"There's no point, Harry," all three friends turned around and found themselves face to face with a wet and sleet covered mousy haired Tonks. "Mundungus will probably be in London by now. There's no point in yelling."

"He's nicked Sirius's stuff! Nicked it!"

"Yes, but still," Tonks seemed to be untroubled by the idea of Mundungus stealing her families heirlooms from her now dead cousin, but Hermione sensed that _something _was bothering her. "You lot should get out of the cold."

Hermione saw Tonks watching them until they disappeared behind the closed doors of The Three Broomsticks, "_He was nicking Sirius's stuff!_"

Hearing Harry burst out, Hermione turned a hard glare on him. "I know, Harry," she whispered in a low voice, "But please don't shout – people are staring. Go and sit down, and I'll get us drinks."

Leaving Harry and Ron alone at the table, Hermione scanned the pub. _That's odd_, she thought to herself. Draco would never go into a pub without one of his friends by his side, but she didn't see any Slytherins hanging out in there. Not a single one. There were a couple of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws mixed in with the Gryffindors, but there wasn't a single student from Slytherin. _Draco was in here by himself_, Hermione thought bitterly. _What the hell was he doing?_ As she waited for Madam Rosmerta to return with the three butterbeers she just ordered, Hermione looked back at the door. Draco looked worried when she saw him, scared about something that she didn't understand and obviously trying to sneak out – almost as if he didn't want to be associated with being inside of The Three Broomsticks.

"Can't the Order control Mundungus?" Harry demanded once Hermione sat across from him, placing the three bottles on the table. "Can't they at least stop him from stealing everything that's not fixed down when he's at headquarters?"

"Shh!" Hermione said desperately. She looked around to make sure that nobody was listening, but she saw a couple of warlocks sitting close by and staring at Harry with interested gleams. Her heart skipped a beat as her eyes landed on Blaise. He wasn't in here just a couple of minutes ago when she went to order the drinks, but he was in here now – lolling against a pillar not too far away from them. Maybe he was in the loo when she scanned the pub? "Harry, I'd be annoyed too, I know it's your things he's stealing-"

Harry started to gag on his butterbeer, and Hermione could see it in his face that he had momentarily forgotten that he now owned number twelve, Grimmauld Place. "Yeah, it's my stuff," Harry said as he lowered his voice. "No wonder he wasn't pleased to see me! Well, I'm going to tell Dumbledore what's going on, he's the only one who scares Mundungus."

"Good idea," whispered Hermione, who could hear it in Harry's voice that he was calmed down, but she was now focused on Blaise who was glaring in the direction of a red haired girl who was now giggling at something that a dark skinned boy was saying. Squinting her eyes, Hermione was able to see that it was Ginny and Dean. "Ron, what are you staring at?" she saw that Ron also seemed to be staring off into space about something.

"Nothing," he said too quickly, hastily looking away from the bar.

"I expect 'nothing's' in the back getting more firewhiskey," Hermione tried to hold in her giggle. It was obvious that Ron had a thing for Madam Rosmerta and was trying to catch her eye. Hermione watched as Harry drank his bottle, lost in his own thoughts about something that made his eyes soften then harden only to soften again, and occasionally glanced back to where Blaise was now trying to set Dean on fire with only his eyes. Ron was just about to turn his head in the direction of where his sister was now snogging her boyfriend – Hermione had a feeling it was just to get a rise from Blaise for being a git – so Hermione quickly stood up, "Shall we call it a day and go back to school then?"

Harry and Ron both nodded their heads. It wasn't a fun trip anyway, and the weather seemed to only be getting worse. Fixing her jacket and scarf, Hermione began to regret her decision to not bring any gloves as she watched her two friends fixing their own gloves, scarves, jumpers, and cloaks. At least she had her boots and leather jacket though – even the scarf from Kate proved to help keep her warm. Blaise caught Hermione's eye as the trio followed Katie Bell and one of her friends out of the pub. Giving him an apologetic look with a pitiful glance at Ginny, Hermione saw a remorseful stare in Blaise's eyes as he glanced over at Katie's friend. Tugging on her beanie once more, Hermione walked outside.

Hermione didn't have any time to ponder why Blaise would be looking over at the two older girls because soon enough, two arguing voices grabbed her attention once more. "It's got nothing to do with you Leanne!" Katie shouted at her friend.

Hermione noticed Harry lifting one of his gloved hands to wipe the sleet away from his glasses as they turned a corner, just in time to see Leanne make a dive for the package that Katie was holding on to. Katie tugged at it once more, but the package fell to the ground and soon enough Katie was rising into the air. She looked graceful with her arms outstretched, looking as if she were about to fly. There was something eerily wrong about the gracefulness of it though. Hermione felt something inside of her cringe as she watched Katie's hair being whipped around by the fierce wind while her eyes closed and her face dropped all emotions. Harry and Ron froze next to Hermione while Leanne watched from below her friend.

Katie continued to rise until she was six feet above the ground and began to scream. Her eyes flew open in the way eyes usually open in those horror films that Caleb used to make Hermione watch with Spike all the time. Hermione couldn't see what Katie could see, but whatever it was it was obviously causing her terrible anguish. Katie didn't stop screaming; as if she were being tortured by some invisible force that no one else could seem to see. Leanne started to scream as well and seized Katie's ankles, trying to tug her back to the ground. Hermione saw her two friends rushing over to help so she ran with them. But even as they grabbed Katie's legs, she fell on top of them. Ron and Harry managed to catch her just in time, but she was writhing around in so much pain that they could hardly contain her so they lowered her to the ground instead, where she continued to thrash and scream. Katie didn't seem to recognize any of them.

"Stay there!" Harry shouted at all of them. "I'm going for help!"

Hermione watched as Harry disappeared toward the school, and she walked over to the hysterical Leanne. She of all people understood how difficult it was to watch one of your friends being tortured while you remain helpless and unsure of what to do. Placing a comforting arm around Leanne's shoulders, Hermione felt the girl turn against her and drop her face in the crook of her neck. Wrapping both of her arms around the sobbing girl, Hermione looked over at Ron who was still trying to soothe Katie although it wasn't working. Soon the students who were returning back to Hogwarts were beginning to gather around them to see what was going on. Hermione caught the pained expression in Blaise's eyes as he also stood there, observing the scene, and she felt that twitch return to her chest. Something was very wrong.

"Get back!" shouted Hagrid. "Lemme see her!"

Hermione released Leanne, and together they approached the anxious half-giant. "Something's happened to her," sobbed Leanne. "I don't know what-"

Hagrid only stared at Katie for a second before bending down and picking her up. Ignoring Leanne's sobs and everyone else's questions, he ran towards the castle without saying anything or looking at anyone. It took only seconds before Katie's cries were gone. "It's Leanne, isn't it?" Hermione said, rubbing the girl's back once more. Leanne nodded her head, and Hermione continued. "Did it just happen all of a sudden, or-"

"It was when that package tore," Leanne sobbed, pointing at the now sodden brown-paper package on the ground, which had split open to reveal a greenish glitter.

Ron bent down, ready to seize the glistening locket, but Harry immediately pulled him back. "_Don't touch it!_" he ordered with a hiss. "I've seen that before," Hermione felt as if she were about to convulse. Her heart was pounding against her ribs and her head was on fire. Blaise avoided her eyes and chose to stare at the silently crying Ginny instead. Dean had his arms wrapped around the girl, trying to comfort her, but it was obvious that Ginny was lost in her own world at the moment. "It was on display in Borgin and Burkes ages ago. The label said it was cursed. Katie must have touched it," Hermione tried to get Blaise's attention as Harry continued talking, but he seemed determined to ignore her. "How did Katie get hold of this?"

"Well that's why we were arguing. She came back from the loo in the Three Broomsticks holding it, said it was a surprise for somebody at Hogwarts and she had to deliver it. She looked all funny when she said it… oh no, oh no, I bet she'd been Imperiused and I didn't realize!"

Hermione began to absentmindedly pat the sobbing girl on her back again, as her mind raced. She saw Draco sneaking out of the pub, and he had obviously been nervous about something and trying his hardest to not be seen. This necklace came from a shop that specializes in dark arts, and Draco's father just so happens to be that shop's number one client. She and Harry just saw him in there before school started, and now… now the necklace was supposed to be a surprise for somebody back at Hogwarts. Hermione held in her gasp. Draco was trying to kill her… that had to be the only excuse. He knew that she wouldn't accept any more jewels from him so he handed it to one of her friends. This was serious now. It was no longer just a game. The stakes were higher and rules were no longer in play. Draco was a Death Eater and Hermione was the target. Draco was doing his job. He was one of the people expected to end her life, and he was trying his hardest. Hermione felt the tears hit her cheeks and she wondered when she began to cry. Draco was trying to kill her.

"She didn't say who'd given it to her, Leanne?" Hermione asked, hoping that no one could hear the fear in her voice.

"No… she wouldn't tell me… and I said she was being stupid and not to take it up to the school, but she just wouldn't listen and… and then I tried to grab it from her… and – and-" Leanne let out a desperately loud wail.

"You'd better get her back up to the school," Hermione said, transferring Leanne to Ron's arms.

Harry hesitated for a moment then pulled off his scarf and picked up the necklace. When Ron gasped, he shrugged his shoulders, "We'll need to show this to Madam Pomfrey so that way she can figure out a cure for Katie."

"Hermione," Ron called out when he noticed that she wasn't walking with them, "Aren't you coming?"

Shaking her head, Hermione glanced over at Ginny and Luna who were now trying to comfort each other. Dean was hesitantly walking with Seamus back towards the castle, but kept looking back at his shaking girlfriend. "I'm going to stay with Ginny and Luna for now. I'll meet you guys later."

Stepping between the two younger girls, Hermione linked her arms with theirs. Everyone was heading back to school because of the weather and to find out what happened to Katie, but she caught Blaise's eye. Motioning her head towards the Shrieking Shack, Hermione began to lead the way. Luna was quieter than usual and Ginny was sniffling now. Hermione had no doubt that Harry was now spilling the beans on Draco – explaining to the headmaster that he had seen Draco buying the cursed necklace. Something was still wrong though – why would Draco allow himself to get caught? Obviously he didn't know that he was being watched or that he had been spotted leaving the Three Broomsticks, but he should have known that this plan wouldn't fall through. He should have contemplated the idea that something could go wrong and Katie would have gotten hurt.

"What the bloody hell do you want?"

Pulling away from her two friends, Hermione had her wand pressed against Draco's throat in a second. "Your plan failed," she hissed at him.

"What plan?"

"Don't act ignorant Malfoy!" she wanted to shout, but whispered instead. "The cursed necklace that you gave to Katie," Draco didn't show that he knew what she was talking about. "It dropped and she touched it. The necklace that you intended to kill me with cursed her instead."

Now Draco showed that he understood what Hermione was saying. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Kill you?" was what he spat out though. Using both of his hands, he pushed Hermione with such a force that she flew a couple of feet away from him and landed on the snow.

"Hermione!" Ginny and Luna both called out, running to their friend's aide.

Blaise chose that moment to meet them. He had both, Pansy and Theo with him. "Kill you?" Draco screeched out in annoyance. His eyes were deadly and for a second, Hermione was frightened by him. "If I wanted to kill you, I would have given it to you myself."

"You don't understand, Hermione-" Blaise started as Ginny and Luna helped wipe the snow off of the now freezing Hermione.

"You're backing him up, Blaise?" Ginny said with disbelief. "He almost killed a girl. He tried to kill Hermione."

"You don't understand!" Blaise shouted at Ginny then his eyes went cross. "Why don't you just go back to snogging Thomas and let the adults settle this."

Luna gasped when Ginny pulled out her wand, training it on Blaise. "What was that, _Zabini_?"

Blaise was shocked momentarily, but he shook it off then pulled out his own wand. "Are you sure you want to do that, _Weaslette_?"

"Stop it!" Luna shouted, causing everyone to turn to her. Hermione and Draco were both pointing their wands at each other; murder in their eyes, while Blaise and Ginny did the same. Instead of murder though, their eyes were both flashing with pain and concern. Theo and Pansy stayed off on the sides, just watching the scene unfold in front of them. "We're supposed to be friends," Luna's voice was weak and Hermione wanted to walk over and comfort her, but she was too afraid that Draco would kill her once she turned her back.

"No, we're not," Theo said softly, "We're supposed to be enemies. Becoming friends was a mistake that we have to live with."

Hermione saw the tears fall from Luna's eyes as the light blue began to darken. "Fine," they were all shocked to hear the hatred coming from the sweet girl's mouth, "Then we're enemies and we were all a mistake, but it doesn't mean that we should kill each other now. That's what the war is for."

"Luna," Ginny gasped, shocked that her friend would speak of such a thing.

"No," Luna shook her head, "_Nott's_ right – becoming friends was a mistake," everyone except Luna saw the way that Theo shuddered as the girl he loved called him by his surname. "We all know that Hermione is the main target, and we all know that Malfoy broke up with her to save her life, but now it seems like he's trying to suck up to Voldemort and kill Hermione. Hermione isn't alone in this; she's got Ginny and I, and everyone else who's going to protect her. There's a time for all of us to pull our wands out and say the forbidden words, but it isn't now. Right now it's snowing, we're all freezing, Hermione is wet from when she was pushed into the snow, Dean is probably worried about Ginny, and we want to see how Katie's doing."

No one knew what to say or how they were supposed to react. Hermione felt a sense of pride in her friend as she stood her ground. Luna was always the serene one, the one who remained calm no matter what happened. She always had that peaceful look on her face as she smiled at everyone – never judging someone because of their choices… now here she was, planning on killing the Slytherins when the time came and making it known that she was standing by Hermione no matter what. This just wasn't the Luna Lovegood that everyone knew and mocked. This was the Luna Lovegood that's seen the horrible truth of what war can do to good people.

"Drop your wand, Mudblood."

"You drop yours first, Ferret."

"I'm not going to kill you, Granger."

"Funny how I don't believe you, Malfoy."

"Drop it Zabini."

"I'm not stupid, Weasley."

"Funny," Ginny smirked, "Here I thought you were."

Pansy and Theo exchanged nervous glances with each other while Luna stood on her own, waiting to see if her friends would need an extra wand. "This is ridiculous," Pansy ended up sighing, "_Expelliarmus_!"

Hermione, Draco, Ginny, and Blaise all turned to scowl at Pansy. "Give me back my wand, Parkinson."

"Not yet, Weasley," Pansy shook her head. "You guys should hear Draco out. The necklace wasn't meant for Granger. Do you honestly think that he would have broken up with her if he wanted her dead?"

Hermione shook her head. "Give us back our wands, Parkinson!"

"Oh shut up!" Draco shouted at Hermione. "You think that you know everything. Well guess what Hermione, you don't! For once, you don't know _anything!_"

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "I know more about this whole bloody situation than you think I do."

Ginny and Luna both stepped forward when they saw Draco lean in and clamp his hand tightly around Hermione's shoulder. "Do you?" he hissed at her, "Do you, really?"

"I know that you're a scared little boy who always does what Daddy tells him to," Hermione wouldn't back down, but she allowed Draco to see the fear in her eyes; fear caused by him. She tried to wriggle free, but he was holding her too tightly. "And I know that you say you won't kill me, but when it comes to it, you will. You'll kill me because it'll be an order. If you don't follow an order from Voldemort, you'll be killed. You'll kill me because you're a pansy little boy who does everything he's told to."

Draco tightened his grip. "Is that what you honestly think?"

"I know that you had to kill someone in order to become a Death Eater," Hermione continued to try to pull away, but Draco only held on tighter. "You're hurting me Draco, let me go."

"No!" Draco's eyes darkened and he leaned in closer. He was so hell-bent on proving her wrong that he hadn't even heard her call him by his first name. "You're only repeating things that your boyfriend told you."

Ginny gasped and tried to run across to them when she saw Hermione lift her foot up and start to reach into her boot. "No," Blaise reached out and grabbed her, "Let them talk it out."

"No," Ginny tried to run away from Blaise, "You don't get it; Hermione will kill him."

"I have her wand," Pansy reminded Ginny.

Luna saw what was going on too, and also tried to run, but Theo was holding her back as well. "Her wand isn't her only weapon," Luna pleaded, but Theo wouldn't release her.

"You were my only boyfriend," Hermione tried thrashing against Draco, but soon he had her pinned against a tree. She tried reaching into her boot for her knife, but he grabbed her hands and pinned them up as well.

"Let go of her, you bastard!" Ginny shouted, struggling against Blaise's strong hold.

"I was doing everything to protect you," Draco spat in Hermione's face. "I didn't kill anyone – that's why it took me an extra two months to become a Death Eater. I fought it and I refused to become one of them. In the end I gave in only because my father forbade me to return to Hogwarts. Do you want to know how I spent my summer? I spent it chained to my bloody basement wall because I refused to kill anyone."

Hermione was silent. She could feel bruises forming on her wrists and she continued to struggle against Draco, but she didn't say anything. She looked over his shoulders and saw that both Luna and Ginny were trying to fight as well. Her friends would be killed because of her. She no longer trusted Blaise and Theo to keep them safe – everyone was an enemy from this moment on.

Draco saw the look in Hermione's eyes and he shook his head in disbelief, "You don't believe me..."

"You haven't exactly proved yourself trustworthy," Hermione spat back.

"I have someone else," Draco told her. Hurt flashed through Hermione's eyes for less than a second, and Draco continued, "Someone else that I need to kill – two people actually and neither of them are you. I wasn't assigned to you. One of them is at Hogwarts, and if I can kill them then you won't be so high on the list anymore. Once I kill them, Potter will be more vulnerable than before and you'll be forgotten. That was the person I was trying to give the necklace to."

Ginny and Luna both stopped struggling. Hermione snorted, "You'll have to do better than that, Malfoy. I fell for your lies before. And even if you were telling the truth, you still took the cowardly way out. Katie Bell is most likely going to die because you couldn't do it yourself."

"Dammit Granger," releasing one of her hands, Draco formed a fist and punched the tree. He saw Hermione flinch and guilt ran through him as his fist connected with the tree. "You honestly think that I'm going to hurt you…" he muttered.

Lifting her free wrist up, Hermione flashed the fresh bruise from his tight grip. "Want to bet that my shoulder looks the same, as well as my other wrist?"

Sighing, Draco pulled away. Reaching out for his wand, he saw the fear in Hermione's eyes as Pansy handed it to him. Draco held the wand over her wrist, but Hermione pulled away from him. Rage coursed through Draco's veins. How could she be so stupid? How could Hermione honestly believe that he would ever hurt her? "Stop being such a bint," Draco hissed at Hermione when she refused to allow him to heal her bruised wrists.

There were gasping sounds from behind them, and Theo loudly swore. Draco heard Blaise shout at Pansy for his wand back, and he heard Theo shout for Ginny and Luna to make a run for it and for Pansy to run with them. Instinctively turning around to protect Hermione from whoever his friends were trying to duel with, Draco found himself staring into a pair of familiar glass colored eyes. Albino white strands fell along a pale face while matching albino white fuzz lined his chin. It was just a thin line of hair that made the eighteen year old look more mature than he really was. Next to him was a darker haired version of the blonde boy with crystal blue eyes.

"Five by five Doll Face," the dark haired woman smirked, and Draco felt chills run through his spine. She was wearing tight leather pants with boots matching Hermione's and a long dark blue colored leather coat that reached her knees.

"Granger," Draco whispered in a low tone so that only Hermione could hear him, not once taking his eyes off the new trio, "Take your friends and Pansy, and run back to the castle."

"No!" stepping away from Draco, Hermione turned to look back at him, "I told you I knew things."

"Granger!" Draco shouted as he watched Hermione approach the blonde. He was wearing baggy black and blue colored snow pants with a puffy white and black colored snow jacket. A beanie identical to Hermione's was pressed over some of his hair, but still allowed strands to fall into his eyes. "Granger, don't – he'll kill you."

"That's funny," Hermione told Draco, the smirk still wide on her face. "That's what he told me about you," turning back to the newcomer, Hermione grinned like a little child, "Hullo Reid."

Grinning, Reid looked down at her. "Sorry I'm late, Sweetheart. We had to make a stop in LA."

**A/N: So you know how people like to piece together scenes from the movies and books to make a Dramione scene where Draco was staring at Hermione or warning her to be safe for her own protection (quite like how I'm doing)? Well in the book it states that Blaise was in The Three Broomsticks lolling against a pillar and in the movie it shows Dean and Ginny snogging in The Three Broomsticks; well, I like to believe that Blaise was staring at the couple with jealousy in his eyes(: I am a huge Binny fan as much as a Dramione fan and I vow to find pieces of the books and movies to prove that Blaise loved Ginny as much as Draco loved Hermione(:**

**Am I evil for ending it right there(: don't worry, I'm starting the next chapter this very second. How was the entrance of Reid them? The boy with them is Tyler by the way. And don't worry, Spike is there as well but it's still day out and he can't be in the sun, but I promise you'll see him next chapter(:**

_**Once again – anything that you recognize from the books is taken directly from the books and belongs to JK, I kept some things exactly how she had it, but switched most of it up!**_


	7. Smirking, It's A Brother Thing

**I know – it's been only 2 hours since I uploaded the last chapter, but I just finished this one and figured that I owe it to you guys to upload it as well. Also, I have been encouraged by **_**23Nelly **_**and **_**Booklover9477**_**. I don't think you 2 understand how much I love you guys right now. Your reviews are always awesome and they always make my day! So because of you 2, I finished up this chapter instead of stopping when I wanted to and now I'm posting it up(:**

Smirking – It's A Brother Thing

_ There were gasping sounds from behind them, and Theo loudly swore. Draco heard Blaise shout at Pansy for his wand back, and he heard Theo shout for Ginny and Luna to make a run for it and for Pansy to run with them. Instinctively turning around to protect Hermione from whoever his friends were trying to duel with, Draco found himself staring into a pair of familiar glass colored eyes. Albino white strands fell along a pale face while matching albino white fuzz lined his chin. It was just a thin line of hair that made the eighteen year old look more mature than he really was. Next to him was a darker haired version of the blonde boy with crystal blue eyes._

_ "Five by five Doll Face," the dark haired woman smirked, and Draco felt chills run through his spine. She was wearing tight leather pants with boots matching Hermione's and a long dark blue colored leather coat that reached her knees. _

_ "Granger," Draco whispered in a low tone so that only Hermione could hear him, not once taking his eyes off the new trio, "Take your friends and Pansy, and run back to the castle."_

_ "No!" stepping away from Draco, Hermione turned to look back at him, "I told you I knew things."_

_ "Granger!" Draco shouted as he watched Hermione approach the blonde. He was wearing baggy black and blue colored snow pants with a puffy white and black colored snow jacket. A beanie identical to Hermione's was pressed over some of his hair, but still allowed strands to fall into his eyes. "Granger, don't – he'll kill you."_

_ "That's funny," Hermione told Draco, the smirk still wide on her face. "That's what he told me about you," turning back to the newcomer, Hermione grinned like a little child, "Hullo Reid."_

_ Grinning, Reid looked down at her. "Sorry I'm late, Sweetheart. We had to make a stop in LA."_

"Sweetheart?" Draco could have sworn that steam was shooting from his ears in this very moment. "Sweetheart? It was _him _who was writing you all this time? It was _him _who warned you that I became a Death Eater? Do you know who _he _is?"

"Of course I do," Hermione rolled her eyes, "Do you need me to introduce you?" Draco said nothing, so Hermione sighed. "Very well then – Draco Malfoy this is Reid Garwin."

"I know his name," Draco hissed out.

Blaise looked at Ginny who didn't seem so shocked to see this new group then back at Hermione. "That's what you were hiding," Blaise realized with a gasp. "You knew about Reid all this time. It _was _you who sent the stuffed hippogriff to Draco."

"No," Reid chuckled, raising his hand, "That was me."

"Which," Hermione was suddenly scowling again and everyone near her stepped back, including Reid. "How bloody dare you! That was immature of you!" slapping Reid a couple of times on the head, Hermione pointed a finger at the nervous Tyler, "And you-" she shouted at him, "I told you to keep him away from here. You don't bring one of your brothers to a country where everyone wants him dead."

"We came for you," Tyler said weakly. "Reid was going crazy back home knowing that his brother was going to kill you."

"I'M NOT GOING TO KILL HER!" Draco shouted off the top of his lungs. "And what the bloody hell is this? You knew all this time that I had a brother? You knew all this time that I was going to have to kill him? Why the bloody hell didn't you say anything?"

"Eh!" Faith shouted. "Watch your language little man. Doll Face had a very good reason for not telling you that she knew the truth."

"Yeah," Ginny added harshly, "The same way you didn't tell her that you were a Death Eater."

"This is different!" Draco shook his head in annoyance. "He's _my _bloody brother. I'm destined to kill him. I was protecting her and she was hiding him from me."

"Life's a bitch," Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "I'd quite like my wand back, Parkinson."

Nodding her head, Pansy tossed the two waiting girls their wands back then walked over to Draco. Soon it was the four Slytherins facing everyone else. "Would someone like to explain what the bloody hell is going on?" Pansy broke the silence.

"Hermione met Reid over her summer holidays in LA," Luna explained. "She met all of the brothers actually, along with everyone else."

"Everyone else?" Theo questioned.

"Me and my crew," Faith winked.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Blaise questioned.

"Don't worry about it," it was Hermione who answered. Turning her back on Draco, she dropped her strong girl act and threw herself into Reid's arms, "Thank Merlin, you're safe. Nobody was telling me anything. I thought you'd done something stupid like present yourself to Lucius as a gift."

Chuckling, Reid held the girl in his arms and shook his head. "And suffer the wrath of Faith? I'd rather fight Voldemort myself than have to face _that_. Why do you think we had to stop over in LA for her? She threatened my life."

Looking over at the smug Faith, Hermione chuckled then pulled away from Reid and ran over to the girl, "Faith! I've missed you!"

"Look at you Doll Face," Faith grinned, "All grown up now. And I'm loving the leather by the way. I told Tyler you would love it. And your boots. You have your Freedom don't you?"

Nodding her head, Hermione kicked her boot against the snow, "Of course. I was about to use it too, but Malfoy pinned my hands against the tree and I couldn't get to it."

"We'll figure something out then," Faith's grin dropped and she became serious all of a sudden. The whole point of Hermione having the knife and dagger was so she could get herself out of tight situations; not be defenseless once her hands are out of commission.

"Tyler!" Hermione shrieked with excitement, running over and jumping into his arms. She heard the growl escape Draco, but ignored it as she wrapped her legs around the older boy's waist. "Look at you; you're all grown up now."

"Look who's talking," Tyler chuckled, making an obvious show of checking Hermione out. "I'm surprised Malfoy cheated on you. I mean… look at you!"

Beaming, Hermione pulled away. "These are my friends Ginny and Luna – the two that I told you guys all about," then she pointed across from her, "Zabini, Nott, and Parkinson. The Reid look alike is Malfoy."

Hermione saw the staring contest between Reid and Draco. Draco had his hand around his wand and Reid just stood his ground. He defeated the guy who wanted to steal all of his powers; his little brother wasn't a threat to him at all. Pansy was too busy staring at Tyler to pay attention to anything that was going on around her, while Faith made sure to stand close to Ginny and Luna, ready to protect them if she had to. Draco's eyes flashed from his brother to his ex-girlfriend and back again. He read the letter that his brother sent to Hermione and he heard him call her 'Sweetheart,' he also knew that the earrings she now wore every second of every day were a birthday gift from him. His own brother sent Hermione earrings to replace the ones _he_ took away from her. At first he was going to kill Reid because he had to, but now he was going to kill him for touching Hermione.

"If you point that wand at me, you better be ready to use it," Reid warned Draco. "I'm ascended now little brother, and with just a blink of my eyes I can kill you."

"You're going to anyways," Draco said coolly.

"No," Reid shook his head, "I'm not here for you. I'm here to make sure that no one kills the Sweetheart. I know that Voldemort must be desperate by now and that most of Slytherin is watching her, preparing to kill her."

Draco looked back at Hermione, "How does it feel knowing that you shagged two brothers?" he hissed out at her. "I never thought you would actually be a whore, Mudblood!"

"Hey!" Faith shouted. "I can kill you with one kick, you know. The Doll Face ain't a whore. I know whores… and she's not one of them!"

Tyler, however, started to chuckle. "Sleeping with two brothers, eh Hermione, Spike would be proud. Of course the world will have two less blondes once he finds out, but he'll be proud nonetheless. I guess you really did grow up."

"It was all that corruption you guys did around me," Hermione grinned while shrugging her shoulders.

Reid chuckled then shook his head. "We didn't shag," he said firmly to Draco. Then he smirked and it was in that instant that Draco knew who taught Hermione how to do so. He became even more determined to kill Reid now. "But how does it feel knowing that I was your girlfriend's first kiss?"

"_Cru-_"

"_Expellairmus_!" everyone looked at Blaise who was now holding an extra wand in his hands. Ignoring all the stares, Blaise turned to Draco, "Draco, mate, he's ascended now. You're no match for him and that's what he wants. Obviously, he's just trying to piss you off. Let's head back to the school already."

"Zabini!" Ginny shouted. When Blaise turned around, she shook her head, "Everything's changed now."

It was Theo who nodded his head though. "A war is coming up and we all know where we're expected to stand."

"But we don't have to," Pansy meekly stated. When everyone stared at her, she shrugged her shoulders. "We can choose our own sides."

"No," Blaise said, shaking his head, "Weasley's right; things are different now. Granger chose her side."

"What side is that?" Tyler questioned with slowly darkening eyes, "The side that wants to live? Hermione is the one that's wanted for dead here. So what if Malfoy was forced against his will to kill someone and become a Death Eater, it's not him that's wanted for dead. Hermione has half a country trying to kill her and she's trying to survive. That's a pretty smart side to choose, wouldn't you think?"

"This isn't over," Draco warned his brother. "You should have stayed away. She would have been protected – nothing was going to happen to her. But now, _you'll_ be killed."

Reid nodded his head with a smirk, "You going to be the one to do it, little brother?"

"Watch your back, Mudblood," Draco growled instead, glaring at Hermione – hating her for keeping this from him.

Hermione stood there, shaking in the snow as her ex-boyfriend, somewhat enemy, and once good friends all turned their backs on her and stalked off towards the castle. Everything was happening so fast. It seemed like only yesterday she was on the train to Hogwarts, helping Neville look for his lost toad, and now she was facing something that she didn't yet understand. Reid grabbed onto her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze and she gave him a small smile to let him know that she would be alright. It's been two years since she's last seen these people in person and now everything that could possibly go wrong was going wrong.

"That girl was cute," Tyler said, breaking the eerie silence.

Ginny and Luna both gave him odd looks and Faith rolled her eyes. "She's trying to kill Doll Face."

"No," Hermione shook her head, "She's not. That was Pansy Parkinson, the one that I told you about in the letters."

"The girl that's only putting on a show because her father is going to sell her off to the highest bidder?" Reid asked. When the three witches nodded their heads, he sighed, "I remember seeing her when she was younger. Zabini and Nott grew up a lot too. Are you girls alright?"

"Yeah," Ginny nodded her head. "They were only holding us back so that Hermione and Malfoy could talk things over."

"It didn't look like much talking to me," Faith scoffed. "Or does he normally communicate by shoving his fist into things?"

"You guys just caught us at a bad time," Hermione sighed. Rubbing her wrists, she turned to look at all of them. "What are you guys doing here anyway?"

"We were headed up to the castle," Tyler explained, "And Faith's weird slayer ears heard you guys arguing. So we ran down to see what was going on."

"Speaking of which," Faith announced, "It's getting late and we should be heading back to the castle already. Spike's waiting for you. And if he sees his mini me before he sees you…" her voice trailed off, and Hermione was already leaving everyone behind her as she bolted towards the castle.

Everyone was already in the Great Hall for dinner by the time that Hermione burst through the large oak doors. Ignoring everyone's concerned looks as she bolted past them, Hermione stopped in the center of the Great Hall. Draco, Theo, Blaise, and Pansy were all staring at her from their table while Harry and Ron also both stared at her from their own table. Sitting between an agitated looking Professor Snape and an amused looking Professor Dumbledore was a scowling Spike. He turned away from the goblet that he was staring at and his eyes met Hermione's eyes. Hermione felt her knees go weak and suddenly all worries left her. Spike was here now. Spike was the number one person that she trusted more than anything. It was something that she couldn't explain, but from the moment that he walked her home right after they met – she just felt safer around him.

After she returned to the wizarding world, Hermione would write to Spike or call him when she was scared about something. It didn't matter what she was scared about, he was the person that she thought to contact. One night she was watching a horror movie with Remus and Sirius at Grimmauld Place during the summer of their fifth year and she couldn't go to sleep afterwards. She called Spike and he stayed on the phone with her while she fell asleep. When she woke up he was still on the phone waiting for her, to let her know that he hadn't left her all night. Spike's eyes met hers and Hermione felt relief rushing through her. Spike stood up from the table, and with a nod from Dumbledore he was making his way down. Hermione started to run again until she crashed into him.

"William!" Hermione cried out.

"Hullo, Scarlet," Spike beamed.

Scarlet! Hermione started laughing. Oh how much she missed hearing that name in person. Keeping her arms tightly around the vampire, Hermione didn't mind that his touch was as cold as the weather outside, as he held onto her as well. "You're here too."

"And Mini Me is very much alive," Spike said proudly, nodding his head in the direction of Draco, who was now brutally stabbing his steak with a knife. "You have Albus to thank for that," he suddenly scowled.

"Hermione," Harry stammered, looking up at them, "Why are you hugging the new professor?"

"Pro-" Hermione pulled away from the now smirking Spike and gawked, "Professor?"

"Professor Pratt at your service," Spike cocked his head. "Didn't Reid them explain it to you?"

"No," Hermione shook her head, "We were…" beginning to chew on her bottom lip, Hermione knew that Spike could tell she was avoiding the truth, by the low snarl in his throat. "Oh look," she changed the subject, "Ginny them are back."

"We're going to talk about this later, Scarlet," Spike warned her.

Nodding her head at Spike, Hermione sat away from Harry and Ron and sighed in relief when both Ginny and Luna took a seat next to her. She was so unprepared for what happened next that it all happened in one big giant blur. Actually, everything from this moment on was a big giant blur. Dumbledore stood up while McGonagall brought out the hat. Reid sat under it and was assigned as a sixth year student to Gryffindor. Tyler and Faith were both introduced as one of the Sons of Ipswich and one of the slayers, who would be staying in the guest headquarters with the new professor. Harry, Ron, Dean, Neville, and Seamus began to excitedly whisper about the new boy who would be dorming with them, while Draco stormed out of the Great Hall. Girls whispered excitedly about the hot new boy who looked like Draco while Faith shot daggers at all of them with her eyes.

Sunday came and went and Hermione honestly couldn't remember a single thing that happened. It was almost as if she fell asleep after dinner on Saturday then woke up Monday morning. Pulling on her uniform, she tamed her hair, put on her eyeliner, zipped up her boots, grabbed her purse and wand then made her way down into the common room. Harry and Ron were whispering about something – most likely about Draco being a Death Eater – and she saw that Reid was fussing with his tie.

"I thought you went to a private school," Hermione rolled her eyes, putting her purse down and walking over to him.

"I hated the uniforms there too," Reid retorted.

Fixing the scarlet and gold colored tie for Reid, Hermione took a step back and grinned. It was odd to see him dressed like this. When she met him he was always dressed so carelessly, but now he had on the tan colored dress slacks and white oxford shirt, with the Gryffindor striped tie hanging loosely around his neck. His hair looked as if he brushed it with his fingers and Hermione had never seen a Hogwarts' robe look that good in all of her years at Hogwarts. With that thing on his chin that reminded her a bit of a thin chin strap, Reid was possibly even hotter than Draco. "Damn," she puffed out.

Chuckling, Reid smirked. "I tend to have that impression on most girls."

"Shut up," Hermione smacked his head. "I'm going to breakfast with Reid," Hermione told Harry and Ron who watched the playful exchange with confused looks.

"Hermione," Harry saw the urging looks that Ron was giving him and spoke up, "Is this the same Reid from LA; the one that you met and hung out with?"

"Yes, Harry."

Ron's eyes darkened and Reid wanted to laugh as he saw the obvious jealousy flash in the light blue. "Why didn't you tell us that he was one of the Sons of Ipswich?" Ron questioned with a sneer, "Or did you not know?"

"She did know," Reid intercepted, "But we asked her not to tell anyone. There are people who try to steal our powers. And though we know we can trust you guys," he saw the smug look on Ron's face while Harry remained emotionless about all of it, "We didn't want to chance anyone overhearing her."

"Did you bring Hot Pockets?" Harry finally asked.

Blaise and Theo were sitting with Draco and tried to convince him that he is not allowed to stab his brother with a butter knife during breakfast when Hermione and Reid entered together. Everyone looked up at them and the whispers soon started up again. Smiling and waving at Luna who was waving at her, Hermione sat across from Ginny who was staring across the hall at Blaise. Dean had his arm around Ginny's shoulder and was talking to Seamus about Quidditch. Looking up at the staff table, Hermione saw Spike trying his hardest to not stab Professor Snape while Professor Snape shared the same expression.

"Where's Faith and Tyler at?" Ginny asked.

"They hate waking up this early," Reid answered as he began to pile eggs and scones onto his plate.

"Seamus and I are going to head to class already," Dean announced, pressing his lips to Ginny's cheek. "I'll see you later, Gin?"

"Yeah, sure," Ginny faked a smile then nodded her head. After saying goodbye to both Hermione and Reid as well, the two boys were out of earshot when Ginny groaned while rubbing her cheek as if trying to get rid of Dean's germs. "I'm going bloody miserable."

Rolling her eyes, Hermione buttered her toast. "I don't understand why you don't just make up with him, Gin."

"Because he's a bloody prat who's siding with the ferret."

Laughing, Reid shook his head. "They're friends Ginny, it's what they do."

"Would you like to be on the end of one of my hexes?" Ginny questioned with a threatening tone.

Dropping his grin, Reid quickly shook his head. "No thanks. The Sweetheart told me all about those bat bogey hexes, and I'd rather not witness it for myself," his eyes suddenly lit up, "Unless you're practicing it on my brother of course."

Everyone was still whispering about the Katie incident. She had to be taken to St. Mungos and everyone wanted to know why anyone would want to try and kill the Quidditch player. Only the golden trio, the silver four, and the new Americans knew the truth, and every time it was mentioned around them, fists were being formed while jaws clenched. Telling Ginny goodbye, Reid and Hermione stood up, ready to face Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Dumbledore explained to Hermione on Saturday night that Spike, Reid, Tyler, and Faith all contacted him about the situation. They didn't tell him how Hermione was the main target of the Death Eaters, but they explained that Reid was Draco's half-brother and that Draco was now a Death Eater. They told him that Hermione became close to them over the summer in LA, and that Reid was now ascended he felt he could help his little brother switch alliances and help the Order in the war. Tyler refused to let Reid come on his own, and the other two Sons agreed to stay and keep an eye on things in Massachusetts for now, but was prepared to fly down to Hogwarts if need be. Spike and Faith refused to allow the two of them here on their own without them, and left LA behind. Angel, Cordelia, and the rest of their gang were also prepared to fly down if they had to. With Dumbledore's permission, they were now here – closer to Hermione and in the heart of everything.

Dumbledore gave Spike the position of Defense Against Dark Arts professor alongside Professor Snape, who was less than pleased at the idea. Dumbledore seemed to think it was perfect though. The dungeons were dark enough for Spike to spend his days in and he was one of the very vampires that the class taught about. It was explained that Professor Snape would be expected to inform Lucius of his stepson's return to keep up his Death Eater pretense, and Dumbledore felt it would be helpful to have Spike pretend to be a follower of Voldemort as well. But Spike flat out refused then asked for permission to kill his mini me.

"Garwin," Draco called out, approaching them. Hermione's eyes met Blaise's, Theo's, and Pansy's and they all gave her sullen looks, "I don't want anyone knowing the truth."

"What truth?" Reid questioned with a cocked eyebrow, "You mean the fact that you're my little-"

"Exactly," Draco drawled, cutting him off. "No one needs to know about my mother's shameful past."

Reid opened his mouth to say something, but Hermione saw the way his eyes were turning into opals. She knew very well what happened what his eyes turned into opals. "Ignore him, Reid," Hermione whispered. Wrapping her hand around his, she glared up at Draco, "He thinks that anyone whose blood isn't from inbred cousins, are a disgrace."

"Watch it, Mudblood."

"Watch it, Malfoy," Hermione warned Draco, "Wouldn't want another black eye, now would you?"

Glancing at Reid's now onyx colored eyes, Draco smirked. "Yes, Granger, wouldn't want you turned on, now would we? Seems like black eyes are your thing."

"Actually," entered the voice that had Hermione's nerves already calming down, "Scarlet here's got a thing for blonde hair, blue eyes, smirks, and attitude," giving Draco a once over, Spike smirked, "Two for four ain't so bad. Now sit down and shut up, Mini Me."

Harry and Ron waved for Hermione to sit with them, but as expected she took a seat next to Reid. Pansy and Theo sat behind the scowling Draco and amused Blaise. The four of them watched Hermione with Reid as they giggled about Spike's words to Draco. If Draco was jealous before, he would be going through hell now. Blonde hair, blue eyes, smirks, and attitude? Spike and Reid just so happened to have all four whereas Draco only had blonde hair and a smirk – what the hell was Hermione involved with? Professor Snape entered the room and stood next to the vampire that he would now have to share his lessons with.

"Turn to page 394."

Hermione and Reid shared a quick glance before both sighing and doing as Professor Snape instructed them. Spike stood at the front of the class, glad to just silently observe everything. He wasn't glad that he would have to be a professor, but at least he would be able to keep a close eye on Hermione and make sure she was alright. Things were definitely new now. If Hermione thought that things were changing earlier, it was about to create a whole new book now: half of the remaining Sons of Ipswich were now residing in Hogwarts with William the Bloody, and the rogue slayer who killed a human and helped a demon mayor try to take over an entire town. The four of them had a questionable bond to the shy bookworm who had been acting odd lately, and one of them resembled Draco Malfoy… even down to his very smirk. Yep – things were definitely going to change now.

The Order had four new members, and only Remus knew the truth behind their arrival. Professor Snape could tell them to open their books to page 394 all he wanted, but it would never change the fact that things were definitely changing. Hermione stole a quick glance at Draco and found him still scowling at Reid. The games were still open, and although the players were currently on hiatus, someone was bound to make a move soon.

But what would happen then? Who makes the first move? Has Hermione finally found a subject that she can no longer study or has Draco ran out of rules to write?


	8. Is He Worth Saving?

**Thank you so much for all of your reviews and for letting me know how much you like/love this story, and for inspiring me to constantly want to write and update for you guys! I love every single one of you(:**

**I'm trying my best to write as much as I can before the power goes out. It's crazy over here! Thunder, lightning, rain storms, floods, and possible tornado threats. I'm curled up with fuzzy socks (I really do love my fuzzy socks), my cousin's stolen sweats and his hoody, and the rain is getting into my room. I'm trying to write as much as I can and upload before the power goes out and I leave you guys for much longer again!**

**I hope you enjoy!(:**

Is He Worth Saving?

"Who can tell me the first thing that you should do when you spot a vampire?" Professor Snape questioned.

Everyone turned to Hermione, but for the first time in six years she seemed almost reluctant to raise her hand. Spike smirked when he saw that she was ashamed to know the answer, and Draco frowned when he saw the smirk. After all, _his_ Hermione did hug the bloody vampire. "Stab them with a stake," Draco replied without raising his hand.

Spike scowled at the miniature version of himself and he saw both Hermione and Reid do the same. "Five points from Slytherin for speaking out of turn," Spike snarled. "And you're wrong."

Everyone in the class watched in shock as the new professor took points from Professor Snape's house in front of him. Usually it was only Professor Snape who did such things. Professor Snape's jaw twitched at the lost points and he turned his death glare onto the annoyed vampire. "Mr. Malfoy was only answering the question."

"Well Mr. Malfoy should have raised his hand!" ignoring the gawking teens, Spike's eyes landed on a tall and somewhat awkward looking boy with somewhat spaced teeth. "Yes, Mr.-?"

"Longbottom, Professor," Neville introduced himself, "Neville Longbottom."

"Very well then, Neville," Spike beamed. He heard all about Neville and he liked the boy. He helped Hermione out in the Ministry the year before, and he proved himself to be a very brave young wizard. More importantly though, he was true to his friends – especially to Hermione. "Do you know what you should do once you spot a vampire?"

"Avoid all eye contact," Neville nodded his head, trying to remember what he just read in the book. "If they haven't spotted you yet then there's a slim chance that you might still be able to make it out alive as long as you avoid all eye contact, but if you were spotted and there is absolutely no chance of being able to escape, then talk to them. Most vampires are daft enough to fall for your deceit, giving you enough time to stake them."

"Yes," Spike nodded his head, "Some… but not all. Five points to Gryffindor-" they could all hear the gritting sound coming from Professor Snape's mouth at the awarded points to Neville, "-for remembering the instructions from the book, but Headmaster Dumbledore has asked me to teach you lot the truth of vampires, and not only what they put into the books."

"Professor Pratt?"

Spike turned to the hand that was now waving in the air. It belonged to a pug nosed beauty that he noticed being extremely friendly with his mini me over the weekend, "Yes, Miss-?"

"Parkinson. Pansy Parkinson."

Spike knew her name as well. Luckily for Pansy, she sent that letter to Hermione and Hermione filled him in on the truth about her or she would have been in hell from this second on, "Yes, Pansy?" Spike decided that he would only call the students that he likes by their first name. He didn't care how the students felt about him nor did he care if they compared him to Professor Snape; in a way he would be like Professor Snape. But he would side with the Gryffindors instead of the pathetic Slytherins. They could all hate him for all he cared… just as long as Hermione was being protected he didn't care what happened while he was teaching.

"Is it true that you are really a vampire?" Pansy blushed as the class broke into whispers when the new professor's face suddenly became all rigid like. A couple of girls released frightened screams, but Pansy noticed that Hermione only looked… smug?

Draco also saw the smug look on Hermione's face and it hit him. The vampire arrived with the slayer and his stupid brother, and Hermione made quite a show by hugging him in the Great Hall that night. It was obvious now – Professor Pratt was the vampire that was in the cemetery the night that his father attacked Hermione. Then Draco's stomach cringed as he remembered another rumor going around Hogwarts. He also remembered what Hermione called the vampire that night. He raised his hand. Professor Snape called on him. "Is it true that you're William the Bloody?"

Reid felt Hermione tense beside him so he whispered, "What's wrong?"

"Lucius told him that a vampire was trying to protect me in the cemetery that night. He just realized it was William," Hermione whispered back.

Spike heard the hushed conversation between Hermione and Reid. He turned to look at Draco and he nodded his head, "Yes, Malfoy, I am."

"Wait until my father hears that that old coot has hired William the Bloody to teach all of us!"

"Oh," Spike grinned, flashing his fangs – his face still in vampire mode, "I'm counting on it. It's been two years since I've last seen Lucius Malfoy, and I have something of his."

Draco paled. His father's wand. He never bothered with finding out who Hermione spent her summer in LA with, but now that he thought about it – it was William the Bloody, the slayer, and the Sons of Ipswich. His father was lucky to even still be alive. Harry and Ron turned around to look at Hermione who was now avoiding making any eye contact with them. Reid could tell though, and so could Spike, that they also seemed to piece together that Hermione had spent her summer with the notorious killer and that they had somehow had a run in with Lucius Malfoy. Draco continued to glare at his brother throughout the rest of the period while Professor Snape taught the class spells to maim and kill a vampire, and Spike taught them things the books couldn't. It was the first time that the class had actually been depressed to leave Professor Snape behind. Even Ron was looking forward to doing the two foot long essay that they had to write for class.

"What class do you have next?" Hermione asked Reid, watching as Ron and Harry rushed off to Divination.

"None," he shook his head. "Dumbledore made sure that my classes were exactly coincided with yours so that we could be together always."

"How lovely," Hermione grinned, looping her arm in with his and leaning her head against his shoulder. "So what do you want to do then?"

"We can go down to the lake," Reid offered. "I've always wanted to see the giant squid and I know that you must want to vent about this morning."

"I'm fine," Hermione shook her head. Feeling her shoulders being shoved, she rolled her eyes, "Not again!"

Turning around, Reid saw Blaise, Theo, and Pansy all standing behind Draco. Blaise and Theo looked annoyed while Pansy just looked around seeming to search for someone. Reid moved forward, but Hermione held him back and shook her head at him. She sighed and folded her arms over her chest. This was nothing new; Draco was always seeking her out, looking for a fight that she always won. It seemed to be his way of reminding her that he still affected her in some sort of way. Hermione both waited for the day to come that he would stop affecting her at all and prayed that such a day would never exist.

"It was Professor Pratt in the cemetery with you that night!" Draco said accusingly, his voice low as to not draw any attention to them.

"Yes."

"And Garwin."

"No," Hermione shook her head, "Reid was with Faith that night."

"Father told me-"

"Yes," Hermione nodded her head impatiently, "There was another person with us, but it wasn't Reid. Tyler was with us."

Pansy's eyes seemed to light up at the mention of the other new boy then they darkened just as quickly. She turned to Draco. "Your father knocked out Tyler?"

"Technically, I did," Hermione interrupted. Reid began to chuckle and shake his head as Hermione explained it. "All Lucius did was fly him away from the vampires he was dueling with, but once I realized that it was Lucius, I knew I had to keep Tyler away."

"Why?" Pansy asked.

"Because his eyes were all black," Hermione explained. "Lucius would have recognized him as a Son and he would have known that Reid was somewhere nearby. I didn't want him targeting Reid."

Draco growled when he heard that. _His _Hermione risked her own life to protect _Reid Garwin_. He wouldn't wait until his brother handed his powers over to the Dark Lord, he would just kill him outright. "If he knew that Garwin was in town, he would have forgotten all about you," Draco pointed out in a huffy voice, making it known that he thought Hermione made the wrong choice that night.

"Oh well," Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "In the end, I still won. I mean I am the one with his wand after all."

"No, you're not," Reid shook his head, interrupting them. When everyone turned to him, he smirked and Draco clenched his fist. "Spike has it, remember."

"Oh right," Hermione also smirked. Blaise and Theo chuckled, not caring that Draco could hear them. "How could I forget? The bloody ponce keeps it on a stand next to his bed. I still have that picture as well – the one from the night that William and Angel thought it would be funny to pretend that he staked Angel, and freak Cordelia out. It's somewhere in my trunk. Did the ketchup ever get off of the wand?"

Draco's eyes widened, "You played around with my father's wand… with bloody ketchup!"

"It wasn't us," Reid chuckled, also remembering that night. If Hermione hadn't put up a shield, Cordelia would have staked both Angel and Spike with the wand. "It was Spike."

Theo looked at Blaise who was looking past Hermione. He looked up as well and his breath shortened. "Hermione…"

Recognizing the voice that called out her name, Hermione understood why Blaise was now gritting his teeth and looking as murderous as Draco did, and why Theo was breathing funny. "Yes, Ginny?" she asked without even turning around.

"Dean told me that he last saw you around here," Ginny said, not even bothering to glance up at Blaise. She did, however, turn to glare at Draco. "What the bloody hell do you want? Can't you go a day without picking on her?"

Reid heard the icy tone in the red head's voice and saw the pain in the dark Italian's eyes as he watched her. It was obvious that he liked her. A lot! "He just figured out that Spike was the vampire in the cemetery with the Sweetheart that night. He doesn't like the idea that she was alone with William the Bloody," Reid informed Ginny.

"I didn't say that," Draco quickly argued. "Don't go putting words into my mouth, Garwin!"

"Garwin?" Luna questioned, purposely ignoring the close gaze of Theo. "You don't call your brother by his-?"

"Don't," Draco gritted out through clenched teeth. "Do not call him that," his eyes raked the older blonde and he felt jealousy running through his blood. Reid grew up a lot and turned out to be more handsome than he was. And he was already known as a sex god throughout Hogwarts. He knew that he was Hermione's first, but he wouldn't doubt that they were doing things now. Plus, his mind was still seething from hearing that Reid was Hermione's first kiss. He always thought it was Krum, but now he finds out that it's… that it's… he shuddered at the thought of it. "He's no brother of mine."

Hermione felt Reid link his fingers through hers and she held back the urge to punch Draco once more. Didn't he understand that Reid loved him? Couldn't he see how much his hurtful words were paining his brother? The summer that Hermione met Reid, he wanted to know everything that he could about Draco and he made her promise that she would save him. "You don't get it," Hermione shook her head. "He's not here for me. He's here for you."

"Sweetheart," Reid called to Hermione, pulling her away. He didn't want to look at his little brother any more. "Forget it," he told her, shaking his head, "He's not my little brother any more. He's Lucius's son now."

Pansy slapped Draco's head hard enough to keep it stinging for a good three hours, before stalking away while Blaise and Theo both continued to stand there. The three miserable boys all watched the girls that they loved angrily stalk away with the very attractive blonde who was now making Draco want to punch something while questioning his entire childhood. He remembered once being close to his brother, and even sneaking to play with him after his father forbade them to make any contact. During thunderstorms, it was always Reid's bed that he would climb into and it was always Reid that he wanted to be just like. Loosening his tight grip on his wand while releasing his fist, Draco felt the wetness on his cheeks. Reid was right. He was Lucius's son now. When the hell did that happen?

"Don't let him get to you, Reid," Ginny said as they all sat down by the lake. "He's a prat. He's always trying to hurt someone with his words."

"It's the only way he knows how to fight," Luna agreed.

Reid ran both hands through his hair. "It doesn't get to me."

Hermione smiled. Ginny and Luna only just met him two days before, but even they could see through his lie. Placing her head in Reid's lap as he crossed his legs and leaned back against a tree, Hermione lifted her knees up and didn't bother to care that if anyone were to walk by they would be able to see her knickers. Ginny and Luna were both sitting cross legged next to them. "Sure, love," Hermione told him, looking up into Reid's smiling face, "The same way that it doesn't bother me."

Reid made a scoffing sound. "So what's going on with you guys?" he asked Luna and Ginny, "With Nott and Zabini?"

"Nothing," they both quickly replied. Luna blushed though, but Ginny refused to. Instead, she attempted at a smirk and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "They don't get to us."

Reid smirked, chuckled, and nodded his head in approval. "There's hope for you yet, little one."

"Oooh," approached a teasing tone, "I see London, I see France, I see Hermione's underpants."

There was light chuckling. "That's my girl. I always knew you were a lacy type of chick beneath all that leather."

Hermione grinned as Faith sat next to her feet and Tyler sat next to Luna. "It's comfortable when you wear it with the leather."

Tyler saw the way his brother's eyes darkened with lust and he decided to tease some more. "Does that mean that Faith here wears lace as well?"

Hermione could feel the effect that Tyler's words were having on Reid, and she tried her best to not make any movements that would make this situation any more awkward, but she wanted to play too. "Oh," she gently kicked Faith with one foot, "Have you finally started wearing knickers?"

Luna was now grinning like a madwoman while Ginny turned as red as her hair. "Hermione," Ginny gasped out.

It was Faith who looked over at Ginny. "Don't worry Red – whoa! Déjà vu, right there – you'll soon meet the real Doll Face. I'm sure the nun act that she's been playing with will drop real quickly. I mean, we're all here now after all."

"Especially with Spike around," Reid said, glad to get off the subject of Faith in lacy panties – or the lack thereof – because he was seriously uncomfortable and he doubted that Hermione could feel any better right now. "He always brings out the pest in her."

Hermione was feeling wicked with all of her old friends back and decided to be mean. If Reid was going to pick on her then she wouldn't just lay there and take it. Shifting her body and quickly lifting her head up only to drop it again, making it look as if she were simply just shifting into a more comfortable position, Hermione heard Reid grunt loudly, and she feigned an innocent look, "Oh sorry, Reid. Did I drop my head to heavily right there? Are you alright?"

Occasionally, some of the school girls would walk past them and giggle at Reid or Tyler. Whenever flirting was directed towards Reid, Faith would make a low growling sound that frightened even Ginny, and Hermione rolled her eyes as she watched her sister-like figure reach for where she always kept her own dagger. Faith called her baby, Lolita. Hermione remained in her position though, never moving from Reid's lap and not once did it bother Faith. Faith didn't care if Hermione threw herself at Reid or gave him a lap dance while in her birthday suit, because she knew that it wouldn't go any further than that. But she very much wanted to kill all those bloody giggling school girls. Reid was only lucky that he hadn't looked at any of them yet. Or the Black family line would most likely end with Draco.

"I don't get it," Hermione said suddenly.

"What don't you get, Hermione?" Ginny questioned.

"I need to talk to William," jumping up, Hermione grabbed her purse and began to run. She knew that Defense Against the Dark Arts was a free class for the moment and she only prayed that Spike was still there.

_"Scarlet."_

_ Turning away from the full moon that she was staring at, Hermione shook away her pained thoughts of the suffering that her favorite professor was going through right now and she found herself staring at a frowning Spike. "Yes, William?"_

_ Chuckling, the vampire scratched the back of his neck, "I'm going to miss that, you know."_

_ "What?"_

_ "Being called William," leaning against the railing next to Hermione, Spike stared up at the moon. "Having you here reminded me a little bit of the old me."_

_ "You mean the poem loving ponce that you hate to talk about?" Hermione teased._

_ Chuckling, Spike nodded his head. "Exactly," he licked his lips. "You know… the proper little Englishman who people loved to mock all the time. I had a love for the books, you know; I loved to speak properly, and I didn't believe in swearing. I followed all the rules and put everyone before myself. Sound familiar?"_

_ "I think so," Hermione nodded her head; a small smile playing with her lips. "It sounds like this bossy know-it-all that attends Hogwarts."_

_ "William had no friends," Spike continued, staring up at the moon with a wishful look on his face. "He only had the love his mum – crazy bitch she turned out to be. Then he met a beautiful woman who saw something in him that no one else did. She looked past the good in him and saw a dangerous beast that was waiting to be released. She bit him, and William no longer existed. He became known as Spike instead and then the real monster was born. It's like you in a way."_

_ "I'm a monster?"_

_ "Of course not. I only mean that whereas Drusilla saw the bad in me, you saw the good in the pretty boy lawyer. I changed for the worst. It took me a century before I became the good guy again. It was like… for a century I was lost and trying to find my way back home. Then I met myself again. I'm still the bad guy, but this time I'm using it to be good."_

_ Hermione broke down Spike's speech into pieces and analyzed it to the best of her abilities, but she shook her head. "I'm confused," she frowned._

_ "You're the good guy; the one who doesn't have a lot of friends and who got picked on a lot. This is the only difference between us, Scarlet: when you were given powers, you used them for good, and I used my powers to hurt people. Drusilla saw something in me that no one else did and she helped me to become a monster. You see the good in people and help them to become the good guys. You have faith in people that should be killed before they can kill an innocent. You believe in the people that have no hope for a better tomorrow. You're a good person, Scarlet; don't lose it like I did. It took a century for me to find the old me, but you're finding a way to blend in the old you and the new you; use that to your advantage. Once you find a way to do that, no one can hurt you."_

_ Analyzing Spike's every word again, Hermione found a lot of contradictions, but when she dug deeper she realized what he meant. He didn't want her to lose her innocence; he wanted her to continue fighting the good fight. "You want me to save Draco."_

_ "You're the only one who can."_

_ "I'm sure I can have Faith call you William," Hermione teased, not liking the heaviness of this talk, and returning it back to the very start of this conversation._

_ "Oh god, no," Spike shook his head. "I like it when _you_ call me William because it annoys me. William is a ponce that I want to forget, but you brought him back to life. Plus it sounds lovely in your home accent. I miss that – the accent."_

_ Laughing, Hermione said, "I'll send you a howler every once in a while then."_

_ "What's that?"_

_ "You'll find out," she winked._

_ "I'm going to miss you Scarlet," Spike sighed. _

_ Hermione looked at him and sighed as well, "I'm going to miss you too. Thank you for looking out for me while I was here, and for teaching me how to punch someone the right way. I'm sorry that I have to leave."_

_ "I understand," Spike nodded his head._

_ "You should call her."_

_ Frowning, Spike looked at Hermione with a dark confusion in his eyes, "Who?"_

_ "Buffy," Hermione smirked. "I'm not daft, William. Buffy is your Draco. Or well, you're Draco and Buffy is Hermione – you know what I mean," Hermione rolled her eyes when Spike continued to look confused. "She has a destiny, William, one that doesn't involve you. Just like how I have a destiny that doesn't involve Draco. Buffy is supposed to kill you, and in the end Draco's most likely going to kill me. There are always loopholes though. And if you can find that loophole, you can always outrun your destiny. So call her. Call Buffy."_

"Yes, Scarlet?"

Stepping inside of the emptied classroom, Hermione wasn't all that surprised when Spike was already sitting behind his desk and waiting for her with his feet on a stack of papers. "Is Professor Snape in here?"

"Severus decided he doesn't like me," Spike shook his head then removed his feet from the desk and placed it on the floor, straightening himself out. "Was it him or me that you were seeking out?"

"You," shutting the door then making sure to lock it and place a silencing spell on it, Hermione walked across the classroom. "That night," she told him, "The night that we talked before I left LA, you told me that you wanted me to save Malfoy."

Spike nodded his head. He was wondering when she would mention that conversation. "A lot of things were said that night, Scarlet."

"But that was the main point of the conversation," Hermione reminded him. "Wasn't it? I mean you compared his and mine relationship to yours and Drusilla's relationship."

"And look how that one turned out," Spike reminded her. "I killed her in the end."

"Well, I also compared us to you and Buffy."

"And in the end, she killed me as well," Spike chuckled. "It was the damned amulet that brought me back."

Hermione frowned. She was absolutely livid when she found out from Spike's letter about what happened, and she didn't understand why no one told her about it, until Angel had to send his own letter saying that he knew the amulet would bring Spike back eventually and that he didn't want to worry her, but that wasn't why she frowned in this moment. "Why?" she asked him. "Why change your opinion only two years later? Do you think he's not worth saving anymore?"

"I think he's worth it," Spike shook his head and sighed. "I think everyone's worth saving. Hell, look at me and the wee-bit-puppet-man," Spike laughed at the memory of Angel's little misfortune while Hermione only slightly giggled, remembering the letter that Spike made sure to send her along with a picture of the grumpy Angel-puppet. After a couple of slow and enjoyable minutes, Spike calmed down and somberly continued, "But I think that it's too late."

"It took you 129 years to be saved."

"I'm 132," Spike frowned.

Hermione grinned, "But you've been saved for the last three years."

"Look," Spike sighed, "I understand what it's like to be the bad guy. And I understand the need to save him and the hope that there's still a chance to save him. But I also just don't like him as a person."

"Why not?"

"Well, he hurt you," Hermione only continued to stare and blink at him, so Spike sighed once more. "You're the daughter that I can never have, the sister that I never had, and the friend that I'll always have. He hurt you, Scarlet, and in my mind he deserves to die an extremely slow and painful death, but Albus made it very well clear to me that I'm not allowed to kill any of the students. So it's for that reason and that reason alone that Mini Me is still breathing."

Hermione smiled at Spike's reasoning. "That is acceptable," she said, walking over and sitting down in Spike's lap so that she could lean against his chest and hold onto him. She felt him wrap his arms around her and she settled in comfortably. "Now tell me the truth, William."

"You're still the old you and the new you," Spike grinned against her hair. "You've seen a lot of death in these past two years and you fought in a mini battle against Death Eaters who wanted to kill you, but you still have this innocence about you that you haven't lost. You got the boyfriend of your childhood crush and then you lost him as well. You lost more than you gained, Scarlet, but you still have that faith in people that helps you to see the good in them."

"William," Hermione groaned, knowing he would get into another one of his long speeches between good and evil.

Spike chuckled. "I missed that."

"What?"

"Being called William."

It was silent for a while and neither of them remembered that outside the seclusion of the empty classroom, time didn't wait for them. Hermione felt her eyelids becoming heavy and forced herself to not fall asleep. "You didn't answer my question," she finally said. "Do you think I should still fight to save him?"

"I never thought that you should stop."

**I wanted to put in more, but I stopped because it's 1 in the morning and I'm falling asleep and I know that if I were to continue then it would only be half-assed and I don't want to make a crappy chapter (hopefully this one's not crappy) and I'm uploading it now because the electricity is flickering and the storm picked up and things are flying around outside right now, so I figured that uploading a chapter now would be better than making you guys wait for possibly another week or even 3 more days. I hope that's alright!**

** Also, the wee-bit-puppet man – who else caught that reference? :D**


	9. Meetings At Night

**There is HAIL on Oahu! I mean actual ice rocks falling from the sky on an island that has never seen such a thing before. Hawai'i is usually known for its bi-polarish stormy weathers, but we don't have such things as hail. The Big Island has snow caps way up in the mountains, but that's the only island that does (of the 8 Hawaiian Islands) and now Oahu has freaking hail! The floods here have people actually surfing and swimming in the middle of the streets and the constant rain makes me extremely lazy! I mean literally all I feel like doing (and have been doing) is curling up in bed with my giant blanket and watching movies with my brother. Writing is the last thing I want to do right now because it involves me leaving my warmth and moving. But here I am. At 8 in the morning… watching the hail hit my bedroom window while my backyard is already flooded from the long night of rain, and writing this chapter for you guys(:**

Meetings At Night

"Where's Harry?" Reid asked Hermione and Ginny as he sat next to them in the Gryffindor common room.

"He had a meeting with Dumbledore," Hermione whispered.

"Ahh," Reid nodded his head slowly then whispered back, "Another trip to the past?"

"Something like that," Ginny nodded her head.

Just then an owl flew into the room; it was a large black colored owl that could have passed more as a crow than anything else. It flew directly at Reid who slowly accepted the letter that it practically dropped right on his head. Opening it up, Reid slowly read it then nodded his head as if replying to the letter before dropping it in Hermione's lap. The two girls silently read it together.

_Mr. Garwin,_

_ It is done. I have notified your stepfather of your return to the wizarding world and arrival at Hogwarts. From this moment on, you must be on guard. Do not go anywhere unattended and keep your eyes open. Your brother is not the only Death Eater in this school and he will not be the only one targeting you. Just like Ms. Granger – that's right, I know the truth, and no I have not told anyone in the Order about it, it is her downfall should she continue to want to hide it from them – you are now a target. Be careful. He also knows that Mr. Simms is here._

_ -Professor Severus Snape_

"We need to let Tyler know," Ginny said with wide eyes. "He'll be targeted as well."

Hermione looked around the common room and saw that Ron was busily immersed in a game of wizard's chess with Seamus. "We'll go meet with them now. We'll have to be careful though because Harry took both the map and the cloak with him to meet with Dumbledore."

"If Snape catches us, we'll just explain that we were on our way to meet with Tyler," Reid assured them, "And the other professors know the situation with me, so they'll let us go. It was part of the agreement. I'm a student, but I get as much access as Spike, Faith, or Tyler gets."

"Let me get my robes," Hermione stood up.

Reid looked over at Ginny and took in her white colored nightgown. "Are you going to get your robes as well, Gin?"

Ginny looked shocked. She's never been invited to sneak out with Harry them before. She looked over at Hermione who had an amused look on her face at the scene. When Hermione nodded her head, Ginny nodded her own as well. "Yes," she quickly said, "I'll be right back."

Faith was sitting on the couch with her legs tucked beneath her body. Spike and Tyler were both practicing their fighting techniques, and glancing at the slayer who normally jumps up at the idea of punching one of them. She was too busy staring at the fire roaring in the fireplace though, as if willing it to burn hotter. California had its cold moments, but nothing was compared to the snow that had been off and on. This past weekend had high winds and occasional snow falling from the skies then when they woke up this morning, it was slightly warm enough for them to be outside near the lake, but now… now it was freaking snowing outside. Slayers were usually warm-blooded, but not in the snow. Even the slayers could freeze when there was snow.

It was common sense that vampires didn't freeze so it didn't mean anything when Spike chose to ditch his shirt altogether and train in only his black leather pants. Faith was bewildered though when Tyler came downstairs from his own bedroom wearing strictly just grey sweat pants and only _one _long sleeved shirt. He tried claiming that he grew up in snow, but Faith ignored him. She lived in Washington before and endured snow as well, but here she was – wearing her own magenta colored sweatpants with a black turtle necked sweater, fuzzy socks with fuzzy house-boots, a giant hoody that reached her knees and she was still wrapped up in a thick blanket. For the first time since becoming a slayer, Faith found a reason to not train.

The portrait swung open and everyone turned to watch as Reid stepped inside first then turned back around, holding his hand out for Hermione then Ginny. "What happened?" Spike asked, immediately making his way over to Hermione.

"Why does something always have to be wrong?"

Everyone blinked at Tyler who asked the question then turned to stare at Reid. "I got a letter from Snape tonight," the blonde Son informed them. "He told Lucius that Tyler and I were here. He said that we need to watch our backs because Draco's not the only Death Eater in this school who'll be coming after me now."

"You guys can't go anywhere alone," Ginny explained, "Or with anyone. You can't trust most of the Slytherins now."

"It's not like I exactly trusted any of them to begin with," Reid chuckled. His eyes landed on Faith and he raised an eyebrow, "You – uh – you cold there, Lehane?"

"Shut up, Garwin," Faith growled at Reid, wrapping herself even tighter. She glared at Ginny who wore nothing more than a knee lengthened plain white nightgown underneath a crimson colored robe that reached her house slipper covered feet. She even glared at Hermione when she noticed that she was wearing just her flannel pajama pants and a black t-shirt that most likely belonged to Draco. Her robe seemed to match Ginny's.

Chuckling, Reid made his way over to the couch and sat next to the freezing slayer. "Did Snape tell you anything else, Spike?"

Continuing to attack Tyler with his fists, Spike shook his head. "We didn't really get to talk yet, aside from the threats on both our ends, but he did manage to tell me that he knows the truth of our Scarlet being the Death Eaters' main goal. He said that he didn't tell the Order anything about it though."

"Yeah," Hermione nodded her head, sitting on the couch opposite from Reid and Faith. Ginny sat next to her. "He mentioned that in the letter. If he always knew that I was the main target, and he's supposed to really be on our side, why didn't he say anything?"

Spike dodged a roundhouse kick from Tyler, ducking to the side, and bouncing back up with a left hook that Tyler also dodged. Ginny was watching them intently, amazed by the physical fighting between the two men. "He didn't learn the truth until Lucius returned back from LA that summer," Spike began explaining to them. "Severus said that he tried to get a letter out to Albus, but every time he would try to send it out, something would happen. Then he snuck out to Grimmauld Place one night, but before he could announce to anyone that he was there, he overheard Sirius and Remus talking about it."

"So Remus knows, then?" Hermione asked, turning her full attention to Spike. "They knew that Professor Snape knows the truth?"

Spike shook his head, "Severus only overheard them talking about it. He didn't join in on the conversation, but only listened. He heard them discussing whether or not they should tell Albus. Remus wanted to tell him, but Sirius mentioned how you didn't want anyone to know about it. Sirius reminded Remus that if Albus knew the truth then he would most likely bring it to Harry's attention and you were keeping it a secret to protect him. In the end, Sirius won… as you know."

"So Professor Snape knew the truth all these years then?" Ginny was confused. "So what else did he tell you, Professor Pratt?"

Faith started to laugh, Tyler began to snicker, and Reid joined in with Faith. Hermione was giggling into her hands, and Spike looked like he wanted to drain the redhead of all her blood. "We aren't in class, Ginny," he scowled at her. "My name is Spike."

"Sorry," Ginny blushed. "So what else did Snape tell you, Spike?"

The vampire shrugged his shoulders and connected his foot with Tyler's stomach, sending the Son flying across the room. "Nothing really, he just mentioned that he knew the truth and that he was keeping it a secret from the Order, as much as we were. He told me that he would be contacting Lucius sometime today to inform him of the return of two of the Sons, and he gave me a heads up that Lucius will either try to get me fired or recruited."

"That's why Albus wanted you to join forces with Severus," Faith reminded him. "He knew that you would be recruited. They wouldn't even question your loyalty if you entered the Death Eaters with Severus. You could be the second spy for both the Order and the Death Eaters."

"You're forgetting one minor detail, love," Spike pointed out, "I hate magic and wands."

"Yet you were the one who threw a tantrum when we didn't want you coming with us to a school filled with wand yielding witches and wizards," Reid rolled his eyes.

"Don't matter," Spike shook his head. "I came to protect Scarlet, and that's what I'm going to do. I told Albus that I wouldn't become a spy for him amongst the Death Eaters and I'm going to tell them the same bloody thing. I'm not pretending to side with anyone."

Ginny had yet to remove her eyes from the two who were still throwing punches and kicks. "Why are you guys fighting?" she asked them.

"It's training," Faith told her, content with staying seated in her spot on the couch and a little excited that Reid was sitting extremely close to her with his arm around her back. "So they can be prepared for physical combat."

"How will physical combat come in handy if you were to fight with a witch or wizard?"

Hermione grinned now. "If you strip a witch or wizard of their wand, then they're powerless," she said. "And if they were good with wandless magic, then you could always just cut off their voice or block their minds, leaving them completely helpless."

"And that is where being able to knock someone out with a punch comes in handy," Reid finished.

Tyler stopped fighting with Spike and turned to Ginny. "Actually, get up here Ginny. I'm going to show you how to get out of an embrace incase Zabini or Nott traps you again," he paused for a second then took a step forward, "It'll be good to teach Luna too."

Ginny eagerly stood up. "Okay."

The next morning, Harry and Ron sat with Ginny, Hermione, and Reid during breakfast. Harry wanted to tell them about his meeting with Dumbledore, but he didn't want Ginny to hear. Harry already figured that anything that happened from this moment on would be repeated to the two Sons and the slayer that Hermione spent all of her free time with nowadays, so he didn't mind saying it in front of Reid, but he felt that the less that Ginny knew the safer she would be. He had no idea that she knew more than he did. There was no more wind, but the skies were now misty and everyone was wrapped up with scarves, mittens, and hats once more. Reid chuckled when he saw that his brother couldn't take his eyes off of Hermione's outfit. Even though it was still freezing, Hermione still managed to wear her boots with socks that reached just above her knees, surpassing her boots, and keep her eyeliner in check. Today she decided to skip taming her hair because the weather would make it pointless, so she braided it instead.

"Good morning," Faith cheerfully said, sitting between Reid and Ginny. She looked up and groaned. "Really guys? Do we really need to sit across from Malfoy them? I want to have a good breakfast, not puke at the view."

Chuckling, Reid turned to look at her and he began to choke. Like always, Faith had her black leather pants tucked into the boots identical to Hermione's and she wore the same black turtleneck from the night before underneath a crimson colored leather coat that reached her ankles. She had on what looked like a borrowed Ravenclaw scarf, a tan colored beanie that Reid could have sworn was his, and blood red mittens. "Where'd you get the scarf?" he asked, forgetting what he was originally going to say.

"Luna," Faith replied, not looking up at Reid, but instead reaching over to pile eggs onto her plate. Looking up at Harry, she frowned, "You look tired."

"I had a meeting with Dumbledore," was Harry's only response.

Faith nodded her head and Hermione smiled. They all knew about Harry's meetings with Dumbledore – she's been keeping them informed all these days. "What are you doing up this early?" Ginny asked her. "Is Tyler up too?"

Harry scowled at the question. Dean seemed to do the same thing. Faith shook her head, "Who, the Princess? No – he's still getting his beauty sleep."

Blaise was pleased to see that the slayer sat between Reid and Ginny, but he was confused as to when the two girls became such good friends. During lunch and dinner, Faith normally sat next to Hermione. Blaise, Theo, and Pansy seemed to all notice that Faith would hang close to Reid, but Draco seemed to never see that. He always only saw his brother being too close to Hermione. Like always Draco was staring at Hermione, but it was for a different reason this time; he was trying to get her to look up at him so that he could motion for her to follow him out of the Great Hall so they could talk. He saw his brother constantly glancing his way, but Hermione seemed to be too involved in whatever they were talking about. Draco frowned when he saw Ginny making punching motions beneath the table while Faith laughed and followed her actions. He gripped the letter tightly in his clenched fist.

_Draco,_

_ I heard from Severus that Reid Garwin has returned to the wizarding world. I hear that he has also brought along one of his brothers with him, the rogue slayer, and William the Bloody. The Dark Lord is trying to find a way to bring the vampire on our side, but they don't trust me much since the Ministry accident. You have a second task, son, and not much time to do it in. The Dark Lord is not pleased with your failed attempt the first time and he will not accept any more fails from this family. Your mother is now being kept in the dungeons of the manor and her fate lies in your hands. You must first complete the first task then start the second one. Each time you fail, your mother will be Crucio'd. It lasted all this weekend and the Dark Lord promises to add more days each time that you fail, so DO NOT FAIL! The second task is simple really; you've been prepared for this moment all your life. Get Garwin to hand his powers over to the Dark Lord. You need not worry about killing him. Once he loses his powers he'll die anyway. The Dark Lord also wants the powers of Tyler Simms, and he wants you to befriend the rogue slayer. She has worked with the dark side before and we feel that you'll have no problem bringing her over. _

_ Your Father_

Draco needed to talk to Hermione. He needed to get her away from his brother long enough for him to defeat him – him and the second Son. Draco also needed to get Faith on his side. He knew that it would be impossible, but he sort of looked forward to stealing Faith away from his brother the same way that his brother stole Hermione away from him. He knew that it would be pointless to tell Hermione to stay away from everything and sit back as he kills Reid, but he didn't know what else to do. He had until the end of this year to recruit Faith, kill Dumbledore, and kill Reid and to kill Tyler – if he failed anymore times then the Dark Lord would torture his mother. And he was already told that if he didn't succeed his task by the end of this year, then it would be himself who would be killed.

This was no longer a game, lives were at stake, and there was now a time limit.

**My brother and his girlfriend are now 'fighting' and jumping on my bed while I'm trying to write. They are throwing pillows at each other and tackling each other right now with slaps. And I just got a call that my aunty them got flooded out of their house and the fire department is escorting them out because it's now considered hazardous, so I'm ending it right here. I wrote about three more paragraphs, but I'll upload up to this point and just start a new chapter with those paragraphs. I'm going to try and finish it later. You'll either get a new chapter later today or sometime tomorrow! **


	10. Told You So

**I tried posting this up only 5 hours after posting the last chapter! The site wouldn't let me log in though, no matter how hard I tried! It's now 1 in the morning over here and I'm finally able to log in. So here you go! You may notice some parts from the first half of the chapter **_**Felix Felicis**_** in here, but I switched a lot of it up to my story. Some things are taken directly from the book with only one or two words switched around though. Most of this chapter is switched up or made up, but you may recognize things (I know I've said it before, but I'm saying it again) and anything that you do recognize doesn't belong to me. I'm following the plot of the 6th book which in turn means that I will be using some parts from it. Also, I only cut the chapter in half. So it doesn't have anything about the potion in this chapter. That will be next chapter.(:**

Told You So

"Wow, scary thought, the boy You-Know-Who," said Ron quietly, as they took their places around one of the gnarled Snargaluff stumps that formed this term's project, and began pulling on their protective gloves. "But I still don't get why Dumbledore's showing you all this. I mean, it's really interesting and everything, but what's the point?"

"Dunno," Harry said, inserting a gum shield, "But he says it's all important and it'll help me survive."

"I think it's fascinating," Hermione said, earnestly. "It makes absolute sense to know as much about Voldemort as possible. How else will you find out his weaknesses?"

Reid was trying to imitate everything that Hermione did with her hands, seeing as how he was still somewhat new to the wizarding world and didn't understand most of what they were doing. "So how was Slughorn's latest party?" Harry asked Hermione thickly.

"Oh, it was quite fun really," and for once, Hermione wasn't lying about it. She put on her protective goggles as she explained it. "I mean he drones on about famous ex-pupils a bit, and he absolutely _fawns_ on McLaggen," she shuddered, "Because he's so well-connected, but he gave us some really nice food and he introduced us to Gwenog Jones."

"Gweong Jones?" Ron gawked. Hermione and Reid both shared a look at Ron's reaction as his eyes widened underneath his own goggles, "_The _Gwenog Jones? Captain of the Holyhead Harpies?"

"That's right," Hermione nodded her head. "Personally, I thought she was bit full of herself, but-"

"_Quite _enough chat over here!" said Professor Sprout, briskly, bustling over and looking stern. "You're lagging behind, everybody else has started, and Neville's already got his first pod!"

Reid, Hermione, Ron, and Harry all looked around and sure enough, there sat Neville with a bloody lip and several nasty looking scratches along the side of his face, but clutching an unpleasantly green object about the size of a grapefruit. "Okay Professor, we're starting now!" said Ron, adding quietly, once she had turned away again, "Should've used Muffliatio, Harry."

"No, we shouldn't!" said Hermione at once. "Well, come on… we'd better get going…"

Smirking when he saw that both Harry and Ron shrouded away in fear at the apprehensive look given to them by Hermione, Reid chuckled softly then quickly shut up once Hermione's glare met his eyes. He heard Ron snicker beneath his breath at the notion of it. They all took in deep breaths then dived at the gnarled stump between them.

It sprang to life at once, long, prickly, bramblelike vines flew out of the top and whipped through the air. One tangled itself in Hermione's hair, and Ron beat it back with a pair of secateurs: Harry succeeded in trapping a couple of vines and knotting them together; a hole opened in the middle of all the tentaclelike branches; Reid beating Hermione to the punch and plunging his arm bravely into the hole, which closed like a trap around his elbow; Harry, Ron, and Hermione tugged and wrenched at the vines, forcing the hole to open again, and Reid snatched his arm free, clutching his fingers around a pod just like Neville's. At once the prickly vines shot back inside, and the gnarled stump sat there looking like an innocently dead lump of wood.

"You know, I don't think I'll be having any of these in my garden when I've got my own place," said Ron, pushing his goggles up onto his forehead and wiping sweat from his forehead.

"The plants were the one thing I didn't miss most about this world," Reid said, a look of disgust evident on his face.

"Pass me a bowl," Hermione responded. The pulsating pod was being held away from her at an arm's length and she quickly dropped the pod into it, thanking Harry for answering her request.

"Don't be squeamish, squeeze it out, they're best when they're fresh!" called out Professor Sprout.

"Anyway," said Hermione, continuing their conversation as if a lump of wood had not just attacked them, and Reid chuckled at the irony of it. This was a normal daily routine for the girl he loved like a little sister, "Slughorn's going to have a Christmas party, Harry, and there's no way you'll be able to wriggle your way out of this one because he actually asked me to check your free evenings, so he could be sure to have it on a night you can come."

Harry groaned, looking as if he were thinking murderous thoughts about his best friend at the moment while Ron took out his anger on the pod in the bowl by placing both his hands on it, standing up and squashing it as hard as he could to try and squeeze it out. "And this is another party just for Slughorn's favorites, is it?"

"Just for the Slug Club, yes," Hermione nodded her head.

Reid began to laugh at the ridiculous name for the club while Harry also snickered. The pod, however, flew out from Ron's fingers and hit the greenhouse glass, rebounding onto the back of Professor Sprout's head and knocking off her old perched hat. Harry left to retrieve the pod while both Ron and Reid gave Hermione hell because of the name.

"Oh God, Hermione," Reid was holding his stomach from laughing so hard, earning a few odd looks from everyone around them. "You mean that when you wrote to us about it, you were being serious?"

Hermione got defensive, "Look I didn't make up the name 'Slug Club'-"

"_Slug Club?_" repeated Ron with a sneer worthy enough of Draco. Reid immediately stopped laughing and moved in closer to protect Hermione if need be. "It's pathetic. Well, I hope you enjoy your party. Why don't you try hooking up with McLaggen, then Slughorn can make you King and Queen Slug-"

"We're allowed to bring guests," Hermione said, immediately becoming defensive once again. They all saw her face burning a bright scarlet red color, but only Reid could feel her body heating up and inching closer towards Ron while bringing her left leg up, as if ready to reach in her boot. Aside from the Americans, the vampire, Ginny, and Luna, no one else knew what would happen should Hermione ever successfully reach into that one boot, "And I was _going _to ask you to come, but if you think it's that stupid then I won't bother."

Reid didn't falter when Hermione glared up at him for stopping her from reaching into her boot, and he kept his firm grip on her wrist until he felt her foot collide into his calf. Releasing a sharp hiss of pain, Reid glared back at her but didn't say anything. The bloody redhead had no idea that he was almost stabbed. Reid caught a glimpse of the awkward looking Harry who was now trying to noisily find a way to open the pod up, as if thinking that by making such a racket he would be able to drown out the sounds of Hermione and Ron's arguing. It proved faulty.

"You – you were going to ask me?" Ron stammered for a bit, his voice in a completely different tone now.

Hermione nodded her head. She was intending on asking Ron to accompany her to the Christmas party only because she knew that he would feel left out. Harry would be going and she would be going. Hell, even Ginny would be attending the Christmas party. "Yes," she said angrily, "But obviously, if you'd rather I _hooked up with McLaggen…_"

Reid watched the entire exchanging in amusement as the faint sounds of Harry pounding the resilient pod with a trowel could be heard. "No, I wouldn't," Ron said in a very faint voice.

Harry missed the pod, hit the bowl and shattered it. "_Reparo,_" he hastily said, poking the pieces with his wand, fixing the bowl once more.

Reid cocked an eyebrow at Ron as he looked sheepish, but rather pleased with himself at the same time. The crashing sound from the bowl seemed to end the arguing between the two, and Hermione started to fuss about for her copy of _Flesh-Eating Trees of the World_ so she could find out the correct way to juice Snarglepuff pods. Harry seemed to meet Reid's eyes for a brief second before landing on the flustered face of Hermione, and Reid felt something click into his mind. Uh-oh! Ron had a crush on Hermione and Harry was wrongfully reading all the signs. Thinking that he knew everything about his two best friends, Harry would think that Hermione liked Ron and if Ron ever went to Harry for advice about Hermione, he would be misled.

Reid was both amused and disgusted by the entire thing. Hermione was obviously still very much in love with Draco, but she spent so much time pretending to hate him just to keep up her appearance, that neither Harry nor Ron realized it. What would happen once Ron approaches Hermione? Would she have to pretend to like him back and date him? Could she be honest enough to let him down gently? Reid glanced between Hermione and Ron and he felt his protective older brother senses kick in… but not for Hermione – no! Hermione was in love with his little brother and his brother was still obviously in love with Hermione. In the beginning they all had mixed emotions about Hermione dating Draco, but in the end they all knew that it was meant to happen. Besides, Reid just didn't like Ron – there was something about the way that the redhead was always making Hermione cry – even more than Draco had – and the way that he only noticed her when he needed or wanted something, that unsettled him. Sure, Ron was a good friend to have and whatnot, but he definitely wasn't boyfriend material; at least not for Hermione. No – Hermione belonged to Draco in every sense. Reid groaned as he thought about it.

He hated the idea of Hermione being with Draco, but he realized that Hermione could be with no one else, _but _Draco. First, he would need to find someone to get Ron off of Hermione's back, and make sure that Harry realized Hermione had no romantic feelings towards the redhead, then he would have to undo whatever brainwash Lucius has done to Draco then he would have to make sure that Draco failed in whatever task it was that Voldemort gave to him, and also make sure that Draco didn't kill him or Tyler. Not to mention the fact that he would have to protect Hermione. Plus there was whatever was going on between him and Faith. Reid groaned again. This was going to be a long year for him.

"Hand that over, Harry," Hermione said, reaching out for the pod that Harry was still wrestling with. She heard Reid groan, but didn't think much of it, just passing it off as the realization of what he just signed himself up for by becoming a student in order to spy on her rather than just be a guest like Tyler and Faith. "The book says we're supposed to puncture them with something sharp."

Reid snorted when he saw Hermione beam mirthlessly after pulling the dagger out from her purse. "Faith's going to kill you when she hears what you used your dagger for," he whispered to her, watching as both Harry and Ron threw on their goggles once more before diving back into the stump to dig out more pods.

"Just shut up and protect your pretty face," Hermione smirked. Holding the pod with one hand, she swiftly brought down the dagger just like how Faith taught her to back in LA. "Just like a Slug Demon," Hermione shuddered, looking up at Reid as he also seemed to remember that night back in LA when the two of them accompanied Faith and Angel into the sewers. Tubers spewed out of the pod wriggling around like pale green worms.

"Only instead of more little slug demons attacking your face, you now have little ugly pale green worms wriggling around inside the bowl," disgust was heard in Reid's voice.

Hermione teasingly looked up at him, "Afraid of a little worm, Reid? What would Faith say?"

"Shut it, Sweetheart," Reid growled.

"Gotcha!" Ron's shout stopped Hermione from teasing Reid anymore.

It had been nine years since he's last lived in the wizarding world, and even then Reid had been too young to really know anything or do anything. His letter came in when he was eleven years old, but Caleb's mom forbade him to attend the Wizarding School, and so he never learned his wand magic. It wasn't until that summer in LA that Reid got reconnected with the wizarding world, and even then he wasn't really taught anything. Hermione was still a young witch herself and it wasn't as if he had a wand with him for him to do anything with it. Sirius was the one who brought him a wand. It was only four months before he had been killed – Sirius escaped Grimmauld Place for a while, having Remus help to keep his cover, and he went to Massachusetts, taking Reid into the American wizarding world and getting him a wand – but even then, Sirius had only helped him to learn basic spells. Reid didn't know anything about potions or plants that attacked you. So he did the only thing that he could do – he went to Hermione for extra help.

Hermione was on edge. It was now Friday and the last run in she had with Draco had been on Monday when he realized that Spike was the vampire from LA that she had in the cemetery with her. She kept expecting Draco to jump out and attack her at any time now, but he wasn't, and that only worried Hermione more. Ever since the letter from Professor Snape, telling them that Lucius knew about Reid being at Hogwarts, Draco had kept his distance from them. Hermione saw that he would occasionally glare at them or watch them closely, but that was all he did. He hasn't muttered anything under his breath about them or even stalk after them when a class has ended – it was almost as if Draco had forgotten about them completely. And that was what had Hermione worried. Draco Malfoy was not the type of person to just forget about someone – no, he was plotting something.

"Sweetheart…" Reid had been trying to grab Hermione's attention for what seemed like ten minutes now. He watched her as her eyes were glazed and her chin was rested on her fist, as if deep in thought about something that he was sure he wouldn't like, "Sweetheart! Hermione!" he tried calling out her real name, a name that he hadn't used even from the moment he met her. It sounded weird coming out of his mouth. He tried poking her ribs with his finger, "Sweetheart!"

Hermione jerked back to reality. She felt someone poking her in her ribs and she turned to scowl at Reid, "What the bloody hell are you doing?"

"Finally," Reid scoffed, quickly removing his finger before Hermione had the chance to cut it off or do something else to drastically maim him. "You've been gone for ten minutes now, Sweetheart. Want to tell me what's on your mind?"

"Do you remember that night?" Hermione asked Reid, hesitantly. "In the cemetery when it was just us two?"

"I knew you wanted me back," Reid smirked in a playful way. "Just something about my lips that always has the girls crawling back to me."

Neither of them had noticed the pale blonde hair that was now standing between the shelves right behind them. Draco's death stare met the worried looks of Blaise, Theo, and Pansy. The three Slytherins held Draco back from making his presence known and doing anything drastic. Motioning her finger to her lips, Pansy told the three boys to all shut up so they could listen. She knew that it was wrong for them to eavesdrop like this, but it was better than what Draco was planning. It would also help to take time away from their own boring studies.

"Oh yes," Hermione rolled her eyes, dropping her voice to a seductive tone, "I am madly in love with you, Reid Garwin. I can't live without your kiss. Please, take me now!"

Failing at his struggle to hold in his laughter, Reid quickly apologized to Madam Pince who just shushed him, then turned back to Hermione. "Just as you turned me down that night, sorry Sweetheart, but I'm saving my heart for someone else. I mean you're a cool girl and all, but I'm afraid we're just better off as friends," Reid seemed to be proud of himself for repeating the almost-exact line that Hermione used on him that night when he playfully teased her after their kiss.

"Damn, Sweetheart," Hermione also seemed to remember the play-out of the night as she followed Reid's movements by feigning hurt and throwing her hands over her heart in a teasing way, then said his almost-exact retort to her from that night, "You sure know how to hurt a girl, don't you?" after a few dramatic pauses, Hermione slightly giggled then fixed herself and stared at him intently. "But I'm serious, Reid. Do you remember what we talked about that night?"

Reid thought back to the night in the cemetery and he grinned. Playfully shoving Hermione's shoulders with his hands, he stared across the table at her. "Which part?" he questioned her, "The part where you admitted your crush for my dear little brother or the part where you admitted that you never had a boyfriend nor could you ever have one because you're too busy with Harry and Ron all the time?" Hermione blushed. She had no idea that just behind the shelf right behind her back was an equally blushing Draco. "Which, by the way," Reid smirked, "You proved yourself wrong. I believe you snuck around behind their backs with a boyfriend for, I believe it was three months during school?"

Hermione was still blushing. She began to twirl a strand of her hair. "I wasn't talking about that."

"I know," Reid winked. "You're either talking about the part when you promised me you were going to save him or you're talking about the very beginning of the conversation."

"The very beginning," Hermione nodded her head.

_"I'm sorry that you have to go back to my brat of a brother," Reid and Hermione were on their own two nights after the karaoke bar as they searched their section of the cemetery for vampires. _

_ Shaking away the image of Draco that returned to her mind, Hermione shrugged her shoulders, "He doesn't get to me anymore."_

_ "You don't need to lie to me," Reid chuckled. "I can see it in your eyes, Sweetheart, even when you sang the other night, it was him that you were singing for."_

_ "To," Hermione said quietly as she remembered the vision in her mind as she sang, "It was him I sang to."_

_ "Exactly," Reid grinned, gently nudging her with his arm. Laughing when Hermione blushed, Reid shook his head. "It isn't his fault he's like that; it's how Lucius raised him. I hate to think how I would be if I stayed."_

_ "I can't imagine you calling me a Mudblood," Hermione frowned at the idea of Reid being her enemy instead of her friend, "Nor can I picture you wearing green and silver."_

_ Laughing again, Reid nodded his head, "I can't see that either. Maybe I would have been like my cousin," he said with a hopeful grin. Hermione had already gotten used to the idea that Sirius is Reid's second cousin, "Maybe I would have been sorted into Gryffindor or Hufflepuff and my baby brother would be sorted into Slytherin then he would be praised and I would become the white sheep in the Black family."_

_ "I think so," Hermione smiled. "And everyone who hates Draco would love you."_

_ "I would be quite the popular boy then," Reid winked, "And Draco would be extremely jealous of his cooler older brother."_

_ "Ah," Hermione giggled, "Now I see where Draco gets his bigheaded cockiness from."_

_ "I am not bigheaded," Reid scowled. "I'm just extremely cool. And handsome."_

_ Laughing, Hermione pointed her wand at a new vampire that was crawling out of the ground and she set it on fire. "Yes, extremely cocky."_

_ "Whatever," Reid rolled his eyes. "So are you going to tell Ron and Harry?"_

_ "That I like Draco?" Hermione asked then flew her hands to her mouth and flushed a crimson color._

"Did you ever think that one day you would have the chance to find out the answer to your question?" Hermione asked Reid.

Reid looked lost in his thoughts for a while before shaking his head. "Although technically it didn't really answer it; we were talking about what would have happened if I continued living with my stepfather," he reminded her.

"But either way, you proved to yourself that you truly are different from them," Hermione smiled. "See, you ended up in Gryffindor just like Sirius – just like how you wanted to. You proved yourself to be better than them. You aren't a Slytherin, Reid. You are the white sheep in the Black family just like Sirius."

"And everyone who hates Draco just loves me," Reid added bitterly. He saw Hermione sadly nod her head and he sighed. Forcing himself to crack a smile, Reid remembered something else that was said that night. "And Draco turned out to be extremely jealous of his cooler older brother."

Hermione forced out a laughing sound and everyone who heard it could tell that it had been forced. Reaching across the table, she grabbed onto Reid's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry Reid," she told him with a pressed smile, "We'll figure something out. He won't hate you forever."

"But he will," Reid nodded his head. "It's time I grew up, Sweetheart. He's not the same little boy who's scared of storms. His father taught him how to hate."

"He was also taught to hate Mudbloods," Hermione reminded the blonde best friend that she loved like an older brother. "Look how that turned out."

Reid gave Hermione's hand a gentle squeeze before smiling slightly. She was right. "Do you think he'll really love me again one day?"

"I think so," Hermione nodded her head, allowing Reid to see the honesty that her thoughts held. "Do you think he could love me again one day too?"

Reid thought about it for a while then nodded his head. "I don't think he ever stopped, Sweetheart."

Pansy was holding onto Draco's hand as they continued to stay hidden and listen in on the conversation. She gave it a gentle squeeze and she felt him squeeze back. Blaise and Theo were both placing their hands on his shoulder to once again remind him that he was never alone. Draco wanted to cry, but he knew that he couldn't – not yet at least. He would wait until he was in the privacy of his own bed before he let the tears claim him, just as he's been doing for the past weeks. He found out that Hermione has been crushing on him since the ending of third year and that his brother wasn't lying about being her first kiss. He heard them talk about Reid's fear of being thrown into Slytherin and turning out just like the rest of their family, and he even learned that his brother truly did care about him. Draco didn't know how he was supposed to feel about that. He had until the end of this school year to kill Reid or he himself would be killed. How was he supposed to react knowing that his muggle-born ex-girlfriend and his half-brother were both working together to protect him knowing that in the end he was supposed to kill them both?

"What the hell?"

Reid and Hermione were now sitting in the common room of the guest tower, when the portrait was slammed open. Faith and Tyler stopped their training while Spike looked up from the pile of essays on ways to kill vampires that he had been grading. A fuming redhead was now standing in the center of the room; her wand tightly gripped in her hand as if threatening to snap in half. Her eyes were narrowed to the point where it was hard to tell what color they were, and her face was identical to her hair.

"Gin," Hermione said, exchanging worried glances with everyone else in the room, "What is it? Are you okay?"

"I'm – going – to – kill – every – male – I – lay – my – eyes – on!" Ginny hissed out through clenched teeth.

Tyler immediately hid behind Faith while Reid shrieked and dived behind Hermione on the couch. Spike rolled his eyes and went back to grading the papers. "What happened, Gin?" Hermione questioned.

"Bloody Harry and bloody Ron, that's what happened!" Ginny shouted in annoyance. "We had practice today because Harry wanted to see if he was smart in giving the Chaser position to Dean while Katie's still in St. Mungos. After practice, Dean and I were on our way back to the Gryffindor towers and we were both just so caught up in the excitement of playing Quidditch together that he kissed me."

Hermione groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "They saw you, didn't they?"

"Yes!" Ginny shouted again. "I got really defensive when Ron started shouting at me because he started insinuating that I always just go around snogging people in public. Dean tried to pull me away, but then I told him no and he left me-"

"Wait!" Faith interrupted Ginny, and Lolita – whom no one noticed until just now – was being tossed into the air and caught again as it landed. Hermione grinned as she thought back to that wonderful summer in LA with knives, daggers, swords, and stakes all being tossed into the air during a hunt. "Your boyfriend just left you? I mean he knows that you're about to get into a fight with your brother because you got caught making out with him and he willingly just leaves you alone?" Ginny nodded her head and Faith snorted, "Some boyfriend."

"Tell me about it," Ginny agreed.

"So then what happened?" Faith asked her.

"The bloody git starts shouting at me some more," Ginny says, bewildered. "He was about to call me a slag, but then cut off. But I know that's what he was about to say."

Hermione gasped and Spike snapped his head up. Reid shook his head in obvious disapproval while Faith allowed Lolita to land on the floor, just an inch away from her own feet. Tyler popped his head out from behind Faith. "He called you a what?"

"Slag," Spike snarled. "It means a slut, a whore, a two-bit," he looked up at Ginny. "Want me to bite him for you, pet?"

Ginny shifted all of her weight onto one side as she seriously contemplated it. "Ginny!" Hermione gasped. "You will not allow William to bite your brother," she turned to Spike, "And you, William, you will not bite anyone. You are a professor now, remember!"

"What happened after that?" Reid bravely asked the fuming redhead. "What did Harry do?"

"Pull him away and try to make up excuses for him," Ginny then smirked. "I mentioned Phlegm and how Ron hasn't kissed anyone besides Aunt Muriel or his pillow-"

"Phlegm?"

"Fleur," Hermione informed the confused Faith. "I told you guys about her."

"Oh."

"The Veela chick?"

"You mean the French tart," Faith corrected Reid with a stare that had him cowering behind Hermione once more. "Go on, Red."

"Then it went into a huge argument about Ron snogging people in private, and me mocking him some more. Honestly Hermione, I think I've been around you too much. It reminded me of when you go off on Malfoy."

Hermione proudly smirked. "Glad to know I've rubbed off on you, Gin."

"Then he attacked me with a hex that-"

"He did WHAT!"

Ginny looked shocked to see that not only Reid jumped to her defense, but Tyler and Spike did as well. She knew that they all loved Hermione and would do anything for her, but she didn't think they cared about her that much too. "Faith," Hermione jumped to her feet, running after the slayer that was already stomping towards the portrait, "Faith, we do not stab Ron."

"But Doll Face, he attacked Red," Faith spoke in such a tone that anyone would have thought stabbing the clueless redhead was the most obvious solution to their problem.

"I don't care," Hermione shook her head, "We do not stab Ron."

"You didn't seem to think that on Monday in class," Reid snorted.

Shooting Reid with a glare, Hermione shook her head again, "And you stopped me then. So if anything this is your fault. If you just let me stab him on Monday, then he would have stopped at only insinuating I'm a slag and he never would have been able to hex Ginny or call her one."

"What did you just say?" Spike's blood was boiling by now. His nails were digging into his palm and he actually snapped one of his quills.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione crossed her arms over her chest. She quickly explained her and Ron's argument in Herbology on Monday and Tyler scoffed, "Seems to me like he's got girl issues. Obviously the poor boy can't get one so he takes it out on the chicks that seem to be getting some."

"I don't care if he can't get a bloody bird!" Spike growled. "Just don't take it out on Scarlet or Ginny."

"I'm telling you, Doll Face," Faith twirled her dagger, "Just one little-"

"No!" Hermione stood her ground. She knew that if Faith really wanted to, Hermione would either be unconscious or dead by now. Luckily for her, Faith loved her too much to hurt her. "Continue your story Gin, what did Harry do next?"

Ginny had a weird look on her face as she remembered what just happened in front of the Gryffindor tower. "He knocked Ron into a wall and warned him off me," she frowned. "And I felt ready to cry. I mean my brother's done a lot of daft things, but to hex me – because I snogged Dean? I mean, sure I could see Blaise getting all jealous and hexing me then killing Dean, but not Ron," Ginny blushed as she just realized what she said and was grateful when no one commented on it. "So I mentioned Harry snogging Cho last year and of course, I brought up you snogging Victor Krum back in your fourth year-"

"You did WHAT!" Hermione screeched.

Faith snickered while Spike snarled again. Both Tyler and Reid were stifling back their laughter. Ginny shrugged her shoulders, "Well it's not like I could mention you snogging Malfoy, now could I? Besides, we all know it's true. You even told me that you snogged him."

"That's not the point," Hermione blushed, trying to sink into the couch she was sitting on.

"Ron's the only one who acts like a twelve year old," Ginny sighed. "Only because he's never been snogged before, he acts like it's all disgusting. Ugh! The bloody prat!"

"Here, Red," Faith told Ginny, "Use Tyler as your punching bag, it'll help with the stress."

Tyler took an immediate step back, "What?"

Hermione sat there, watching as Tyler tried to protest being used as a human punching bag. Reid threw his hands up in the air and said that he'd already been used as one before back in LA, and Hermione suddenly remembered something. It was the night that she had been using Caleb as a practice punching bag that Lindsey crashed her goodbye party. Thinking back to Lindsey reminded her of the note from the first day of school. Lindsey stole the papers from his job. He has the names of Death Eaters. Jumping up from the couch as she heard Tyler whining about Ron still being alive being Reid's fault in the first place, Hermione ran over to Spike's desk.

"Ineedaquillandparchment," Hermione said in one quick breath.

Understanding what Hermione was saying, Spike nodded his head. "What is it?" he asked, watching as she greedily took the blank roll of parchment and the quill from him.

"Lindsey," Hermione told him. "I just remembered something about Lindsey."

"You're going to ask him for the names of all of the Death Eaters in school," Spike realized.

Hermione nodded her head, "Professor Snape can't tell us because of the spell, which means that Draco can't tell us either."

Spike watched Hermione messily scribble out her letter to Lindsey. "So he's back to being Draco for now, is he?"

_LM, _

_ I need your help! You mentioned that you took files and reports when you left the firm – things that would be able to help blackmail your bosses should they ever find you? And you even offered to show me Draco's contract. I don't need the contract, but I was wondering if you have the names of all the others? Reid is at Hogwarts. He brought Faith, William, and Tyler with him and Lucius found out. I know that you know Reid's background so I know that you know what Draco's being forced to do. Draco is no longer being sent after me, his main target is Reid now. But it has been mentioned that there are others at Hogwarts, and that they are now the ones with orders to kill me. They also want to kill Reid and Tyler. I think they want Faith too, and William is already a target. If you have the names, could you please send them to me? _

_ Thanks, _

_ Darling _

Hermione watched as the owl left with the urgent letter. Hopefully Lindsey would be able to get back to her with the names of all the Death Eaters at Hogwarts unlike when he was unable to help her when it came to the item that Draco wanted Borgin to fix for him. Professor Snape agreed to work in secret with them – without the Order, minus Remus knowing the truth – after revealing to Spike that he knew the truth about them all working behind the Order's back to protect Hermione. It was an odd alliance, but it helped Hermione to know that despite Harry's paranoia, they could, in fact, trust Severus Snape. They learned though that there was a curse placed on them. A Death Eater could not reveal the name of another Death Eater without falling ill. It was how Voldemort found a way to ensure that none of his Death Eaters betrayed each other after the fiasco that happened when he first disappeared after killing the Potters.

Hope fluttered inside of Hermione as she watched Faith's owl take off. She smiled as she heard Spike's words reach her ears. "If Lindsey can get us that list," she told him, "Then we'll find out who all of the Death Eaters are and we can warn Draco," Hermione pointed out to the vampire. Apparently, another thing that Professor Snape revealed to Spike was that Voldemort didn't trust Draco, so the poor bloke had no idea just exactly who was a Death Eater and who wasn't. He knew only a couple of other students that were Death Eaters, but he didn't know all of their names. "Once we warn him-"

"The two of you have hope again," Spike nodded his head. "I'm still going to drain him of all his blood though, Scarlet."

Hermione grinned. "I never doubted you wouldn't, William."

**I just realized something. I keep forgetting that Hermione's in that slug club thing so I keep only writing moments about when she used to sneak off to write letters to Reid them or with her now secretly meeting with them. I haven't actually written anything about her being inside of a Slug meeting, I've only just mentioned it. Would any of you like to read about a meeting? I didn't have a chapter about it in the story that got deleted, but I figured I could add one in now if you guys want one? Would that be interesting to read? I mean the original Harry Potter books were all only based on Harry's point of views so the only time they were mentioned was when Harry would ask Hermione about it since he doesn't go to them. But since this story is more from her point of view and skipping Harry's thoughts – would you guys like to read what happens in a Slug meeting? Please leave your thoughts on that!**


	11. A Potion Of Luck

**I'm late once again. And it's most likely going to be like this for a while. I'm babysitting my friend's 2 daughters. One is 6 weeks and the other is 2 years old. The 2 year old is teething and has a high fever and the baby is just really fussy. I have them for 14 hours a day while my friend's at work. (She walks half an hour to the bus stop every morning then catches the bus to me. Then it takes 2 busses from my house to her job and the 2 busses again to come here after work to pick them up then either my mom or brother will drive them home afterwards.)The only days I won't have the girls are Tuesdays and Fridays. So those will be the only days that I'll be able to try and get any writing done. No promises though because I'm also involved in CPS with my own nieces and we have inspections and meetings and court cases coming up again because it's been the one year mark. So… please bear with me.**

**This chapter was written over a 5-day period thanks to 'nap time' so hopefully I'll be able to do more chapters like that so I can upload early; even if it is only one day before Tuesday(:**

A Potion Of Luck

Reid, Tyler, and Faith all made sure to keep the livid Hermione, disgruntled Ginny, and confused Luna as far away from Ron as possible. In the beginning, Faith was down to kill Ron or 'at least torture him a little with Lolita for being a prick' as she put it in kind words, but now even she pitied the poor little fool. Reid was almost grateful that it was now the weekend and he didn't have to put up with Hermione on his own – he was sure that Ron would not leave a single classroom without some sort of casualty brought upon him from his own stupidity. Harry seemed to be stuck in not knowing what to do either, but like always he sided with Ron just so he wouldn't get the icy reception from his redheaded best friend that Ginny and Hermione were receiving. Hermione didn't even do anything wrong, but Ron was outraged that she had the nerve to snog someone before he did. Hermione was about ready to carve Ron open with Destiny just to ease her annoyance.

Ginny had no problem with Ron giving her the cold shoulder but, other than her idiotic brother, she also had to deal with the sneers coming from Blaise. Of course, all of Hogwarts had heard about the blow up between the Weasley siblings, and now even Dean was trying his best to avoid his girlfriend. The group all had an inkling suspicion that Dean's avoidance was more due to the glaring Slytherin than the futile threats from Ronald Weasley and the boy-who-lived. Harry would occasionally try to spark up a conversation between his two best friends, but Ron would end up narrowing his eyes at a bewildered Hermione while the latter would reach for her boots then be yanked up by an amused Tyler and a headshaking Reid.

Sunday night Ginny trudged into the Great Hall with the rest of the Gryffindor team following behind her. Without even bothering to spare a glance at anyone, Ginny went straight to Reid and plopped her head on his shoulder. Faith quirked an eyebrow at the notion, but continued to eat her steak and potatoes. Over at the Slytherin table, Draco flashed the now seething Blaise Zabini an apologetic look and glanced around the Gryffindor table. Hermione was missing from her usual spot next to his stupid brother.

"Hard practice, Red?" Faith finally questioned when she saw Ginny shake her head at the plate that Tyler was now shoving towards her.

Nodding her head and yawning, Ginny pulled away from Reid. "Ron started shouting at Demelza for no reason until she burst into tears. Then Peakes jumped to Demelza's defense. I was just about to hex Ron when Harry decided to jump in and stop everything. He ended the practice and he thought I was gone, but I lingered back to listen to them – Harry threatened to kick Ron off the team if he continued to act like a prat."

"But tomorrow's the first match," Tyler whined, looking forward to finally being able to watch an actual game of Quidditch. "They can't play without a Keeper."

"Which is why Ron decided that instead of removing the stick lodged up his arse he'll play in tomorrow's match, then he's going to quit the team afterwards. Harry called him mental; they glared at each other for a bit then Ron sighed. It was pathetic, really."

"So now the team has to find a new Keeper?" asked Faith, "Again?"

Ginny sighed and shook her head. With a quick glare at a red-faced Harry who hadn't taken his eyes off of her since she sat down, Ginny muttered, "Harry tried talking Ron into staying on the team, but like always Ron was a downer – he started to cry about not being good enough and said that if we lose – which, he seems to think we will, by the way – then he's leaving the team and nothing Harry says can stop him."

Reid felt someone staring at him and turned around just in time to see his brother's curious gaze before the younger blonde dropped his head and turned back to Blaise who seemed to be complaining about something. Tyler looked over at Reid and they both shared the same thoughts – they were now stuck in a teenage hormone angst movie. It seemed like everywhere they turned, there was a love-sick boy or a broken-hearted girl. Luna and Theo chose to avoid each other at all costs, Blaise hated Ginny for being caught with Dean and chose to picking on her the way that Draco tormented Hermione, Ron was obviously in love with Hermione but thought that being a prick to her was better than being her friend, Hermione was still stuck on Draco, Harry had a puppy-dog look in his eyes every time Ginny walked past him, and Lavender was starting to stalk Ron. Reid rolled his eyes and looked over at Spike who was scowling as Professor Trelawney predicted a bright future ahead of him – she waved her hand at the reminder that anything too bright would _kill _him since he was a vampire, because her visions were always intact and he was not a seer so he had no idea what he was talking about.

"Where's Hermione?" Ginny asked, only now noticing that her secretive best friend wasn't with them.

"She's sulking in her dorms because Spike took away Freedom and Destiny," Tyler told her.

Ginny's eyes widened and she reached across the table to take a carrot off Tyler's plate, "What? Why did Spike do that?"

"Eat your own food," Tyler huffed, reaching across and yanking his carrot back from Ginny before it touched her lips. "That's why I made you a plate."

Rolling her eyes, Ginny yanked the carrot back before Tyler could even settle down on the bench once again. Tyler scowled as he watched Ginny pop it into her mouth then stick her tongue out, allowing him to see the chewed up carrot, "So, seriously, why would Spike do that to her?"

"Ron bumped into Doll Face in the corridor today, sending all her books to the floor and she reached into her purse and pulled out Freedom," Faith explained. "Spike just so happened to be passing by and grabbed her hand just as she swiped Freedom down to stab Ron."

Ginny turned to Ron and she frowned. "He's fine," Reid assured Ginny, assuming that she was frowning at the thought of her brother almost being attacked by a dagger.

"I know," Ginny sneered, "Not even one bloody scratch," turning up to the staff table, Ginny scowled at Spike. "I hope Trelawney talks his ears off."

Everyone saw as Spike suddenly lifted his head up and his eyes landed on Ginny. Spike opened his teeth in a snarl that only the group paying close attention could notice, and Reid chuckled, "I think Faith and the Sweetheart rubbed off on you too much, Gin."

"I don't think they rubbed off enough," Ginny shook her head in disagreement. "If they did, I would've punched Zabini by now."

Tyler looked across the Great Hall and saw that Blaise hadn't looked away from them yet. Well, that's not true – the onyx colored eyes shifted between Dean and Ginny, but other than that, he hadn't looked away from the Gryffindor table yet. "C'mon, Gin," Tyler said, standing up.

Ginny raised a weary eyebrow at him. "Where are we going?"

"To my room," Tyler replied, causing Faith to make a sudden whooping sound and Reid start laughing.

Ginny – the only one who wasn't perverted – knew what Tyler was talking about, and stood up. "When you two decide to finally stop living out your fantasies through everyone else and you _shag_; Ty and I will be the room, training."

Hermione was curled up on one of the sofa chairs in the corner of the common room, closest to the fire. Comfortable in dark green sweats that she stole from Draco one night and a hoodie that she stole from Angel two years before, but still managed to practically drown in, Hermione had her hair tied back into a single braid and her feet wrapped up in the warmth of purple and pink checkered fuzzy socks. She had a letter from Lindsey in one hand and the earrings that Draco doesn't know she has back in her other hand. Hermione felt like she wanted to cry, but this wasn't a crying moment. It just felt like tears wanted to fall for no reason.

"Well, don't you look nice and cozy..."

"You're back early," Hermione said, quickly putting the emerald earrings into the pocket of her sweats and looking up at Reid. "Where's Ginny?"

"Training with Tyler. Ron was acting stupid again at Quidditch practice and she wanted to hit something."

"Oh," wiping away an invisible trail of tears that hadn't fallen, Hermione scooted away so that Reid could squeeze his body between hers and the armrest of the chair. "Is she alright?" Reid nodded his head, and Hermione took in the pink flush of his cheeks. "Erm, Reid, why are you blushing?"

The tomato color on Reid's cheeks flushed to a scarlet color. "Faith and I may have slightly teased Tyler and Ginny, only a little bit, when he invited her back to his room."

Hermione smirked, already knowing what her feisty little friend did. "Did Ginny suggest that you and Faith finally start shagging?" Reid only blushed even deeper and Hermione started laughing, "I don't know why you're blushing, Reid. We _all _know that you and Faith want to. Just get it over with already."

"Easy for you to say," Reid growled at Hermione. "Just because you've shagged the person you wanted to, doesn't mean the rest of us can just do it so easily."

Hermione rolled her eyes now. "I'm a Mudblood and he's a Death Eater. He hated me and I was a prudish little virgin girl with a silly little schoolgirl crush. You're more of a playboy than he is, and Faith has to have a quick shag after every vampire she slays. If I can do it, you have no bloody excuse."

"I knew we corrupted you that summer," Reid groaned into his hands, tossing his head back and rubbing his face. Playfully elbowing Hermione in the ribs for laughing at him, Reid opened his eyes but kept his position. "So those were the earrings that my dumbass brother gave you then took back?" Hermione was silent and Reid felt her stiffen next to him. A smile played on his lips as he told her, "You're not as alert as usual, Sweetheart. I was standing here for a couple of minutes before making my presence known."

Hermione muttered something underneath her breath that had Reid quickly lowering his hands to cover his family jewels, then Hermione shifted to make herself more comfortable against him. "Lindsey wrote back while you guys were all at dinner."

"Did he send the list with all the names?"

Shaking her head, Hermione handed him the letter, "Sort of."

"What do you mean, sort of?"

"Read it."

_Little Darling,_

_ I know I have them somewhere around here. I'm under some stress right now though – the firm suspects where I'm at and it's hard for me to get the owl out. I'm looking for the files, but it's going to take some time. I remember some names though… they were mostly the old names, but I'm sure that if you have any kids of Death Eaters in that school, then they'll be one as well if they're sixteen already. I have a source who informed me that Faith _**is**_ being targeted – they want her on their side. They know that she's been on the dark side before and they'll use any means necessary to get her on their side. Don't let her go to them! Trust me – I of all people know how difficult it is to make her good again once she falls evil. If that's the case, you may have to bring Angelus back into the picture. And Cordelia won't be too happy about that. Nobody will, it'll probably be more dangerous than having You-Know-Who standing right in front of you. Of course they want Spike, he's a vampire. As for Reid and Tyler, they're both ascended now and they'll be higher targets. I know they won't betray you, but the Death Eaters will try pretty damned hard to make them._

_ Here are the names: Montague, Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson, Greengrass, Nott, Zabini, Carrow, Yaxley, Dolohov, Malfoy, Black, Lestrange, Rowle, Gibbon, Greyback, Davis, Snape, Pettigrew, Jugson, Flint, Pucey, Avery, and McNair. – I know that you already know most of those names and that you trust some of those names, but those are the older names that I know. Keep a close eye out for their kids. _

_ I have someone who's working at the firm now, and she informed me that Shunpike wasn't imperiused, and that it's possible to get rid of the dark mark. She's looking for the spell to remove it. Once she finds it, we'll get it to you. I'll send out the names of the ones in your school once I find it. Don't reply to me, owls aren't safe for now. I'll contact you. If it's an emergency, call the number below – she'll be able to get ahold of me for you._

_ Tell Reid them to not do anything stupid. Tell Spike to not foolishly pretend to follow the Death Eaters, and tell Faith __not__ to stab whoever approaches her. Keep fighting with Draco – he's being watched closely, and tell Reid to not get too attached to his brother until we figure out how to get rid of that mark._

_ -LM_

_ 209-555-7192_

"Why can't we just call _his _phone?" Reid questioned.

Hermione shrugged her shoulders, "I don't like it though. Who's this woman that he has on the inside?"

"I don't know," Reid was the one who shrugged his shoulders now, "He didn't leave her name."

"You think she's the one who told him that the firm found him?"

"Could be," Reid looked down and saw the frustration in Hermione's face. Elbowing her once in a playful and friendly way, he smiled down at her frowning face, "Jealous that Lindsey might have a chick in his bed?"

"Maybe," Hermione smirked in her own playful tone.

They stayed that way for a while. Both silent and content and in each other's arms then Reid decided to break it. "They might be able to get rid of the dark mark."

"I know."

"If they get rid of it, he'll be free of all duties. He'll be free, Sweetheart."

"I know."

"They could erase him becoming a Death Eater."

_"I was doing everything to protect you," Draco spat in her face. "I didn't kill anyone – that's why it took me an extra two months to become a Death Eater. I fought it and I refused to become one of them. In the end I gave in only because my father forbade me to return to Hogwarts. Do you want to know how I spent my summer? I spent it chained to my bloody basement wall because I refused to kill anyone." _Hermione shuddered as she remembered the first day that Reid them arrived at Hogwarts. It was the day when she thought that Draco intended for the cursed necklace to kill her. She forgot about what Draco told her as he pinned her against the tree, but now it all came flooding back to her – he didn't want to kill anyone, he didn't want to become to a Death Eater. They chained him up, tortured him, and forced him to do it. Making sure to stuff the letter from Lindsey into her pocket, Hermione stood up. "No," she shook her head to a suddenly confused Reid, "They'll never be able to erase that."

Hermione was up all night. Making sure that the curtains around her bed were shut, she reached over and opened the drawer of her nightstand. Pulling out a tiny box, she opened it and saw all of her previous letters from the moment that she left LA and came back to Hogwarts. During the summer holidays she was able to talk to everyone by phone, but once she returned to Hogwarts, all muggle technologies was down again unless she went into Hogsmeade. Grabbing the letters from just the top of the stack, Hermione read the one from Pansy over and over again…

_Granger,_

_ Don't let him know I sent these to you or that I'm writing to you. I don't love him – not like that at least. Hell, I haven't even snogged him or shagged him, nor have I thought of it. My father is planning on selling me to the highest bidder on my seventeenth birthday to become a Death Eater's prized bride. I hold onto Draco so that way no one here will bid on me. Draco isn't the only one in Hogwarts, so you really need to be more careful. Obviously he won't hurt you, but someone else will. I never wanted the earrings and I gave him the pendent back. I only wore these because he wants you to believe that he moved on. There are things that you don't understand, and things that I cannot tell you, but he still loves you. You know I would never lie about something as serious as this. We can't all loudly voice our sides of this war._

_ By the way, I like your jacket and purse. Your friends have good taste. And I think these earrings look better on you. Keep them safely hidden until you're able to wear them again! And happy birthday!_

Hermione kept reading it over and over again. So many thoughts were racing through her mind. She already got used to the idea that Pansy didn't love Draco and that she was hanging onto him just to keep the Death Eaters away from her – her tactic was to make them all think that Draco was going to choose her. Pansy also warned Hermione that Draco loved her and wouldn't hurt her – Pansy was the one who told her that Draco wanted her to think that he was moving on in order to protect her.

_There are things that you don't understand, and things that I cannot tell you, but he still loves you. You know I would never lie about something as serious as this. We can't all loudly voice our sides of this war._

Things that she didn't understand? She understood a lot – a lot more than Harry and the rest of the Order did at least. She was Hermione Granger… she understood everything. But was it possible that there were things that the silver four understood that she didn't?

_We can't all loudly voice our sides of this war._

Hermione read that one line a couple more times before sighing and putting the letter back into the box and hiding it once more inside of her nightstand drawer. Lying on her back, Hermione stared wide eyed at the ceiling above her, listening to the sounds of Parvati snoring and Lavender talking in her sleep. It amused Hermione how much Ron graced the dreams of the annoying blonde Gryffindor. Hermione thought back to the day that Draco gave Katie the cursed necklace. It wasn't Draco's words that haunted her this time though – it was Pansy's.

_"Zabini!" Ginny shouted. When Blaise turned around, she shook her head, "Everything's changed now."_

_ It was Theo who nodded his head though. "A war is coming up and we all know where we're expected to stand."_

_ "But we don't have to," Pansy meekly stated. When everyone stared at her, she shrugged her shoulders. "We can choose our own sides."_

Pansy – Hermione sighed. Pansy wanted to fight alongside the Order.

_We can't all loudly voice our sides of this war. __We can choose our own sides._

Maybe she could save more than just Draco and Reid. Maybe there was still hope for Pansy. Groaning, Hermione remembered about Blaise and Theo – they would have to make up with Ginny and Luna before she could even think about chancing a sly smile at them again.

Waiting for Lavender and Parvati to leave the room, Hermione slowly got out of bed and quickly got ready. Today was the first Quidditch match of the school year. Gryffindor was playing against Slytherin. Ever since Hermione returned from her vacation in LA she had cheered for Draco in her mind, even when he played against Harry. Of course, they didn't have Quidditch in fourth year because of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, but she would have cheered for Draco. She had been absolutely livid about the fight that Draco caused the year before that got Harry and the twins suspended off of the Quidditch team, but she still cheered for him during the game before the fight and the games after the fight. In her heart and mind of course… she couldn't publicize the fact that she was cheering for him. Taking a peek out of the windows, Hermione saw that it was freezing and the grounds were frozen, but there was no snow or rain. Throwing on blue jeans, black boots with fur, and a large maroon colored hoody with a picture of a lion on it, along with her Gryffindor scarf, beanie, mittens, and a quick outline of eyeliner, Hermione kept her hair in the braid she woke up in, and grabbed her purse. She had a feeling this was going to be a long day.

Scanning the Great Hall as she entered it, Hermione took in the welcoming scene of scowling and booing Slytherins along with a mass of red and gold coming from her own house table. Making her way towards Reid and Tyler who looked comfortable in a pair of jeans with puffy snow jackets and their own Gryffindor colored beanies, Hermione cocked an eyebrow at Faith. The slayer was now wearing a Gryffindor colored scarf with Gryffindor colored mittens and a Gryffindor colored beanie; she was also bundled up in long black jeans with tan furred boots and a black colored jacket that matched Reid and Tyler's – it looked like it belonged to Reid as a matter of fact. Faith was still shivering from the cold.

Seeing Harry trying to calm Ron's nerves down, Hermione decided to warily pause at their table. Spike still had Freedom and Destiny, so the worse she could do was hex Ron. Hermione smiled at the thought. "How are you both feeling?" she asked, tentatively. Her eyes were fixed on the back of Ron's head.

"Fine," Harry said. Hermione noticed that he was concentrating on forcing a glass of pumpkin juice down Ron's throat. "There you go, Ron. Drink up."

Hermione looked over to her other best friends and the ones who knew _all _of her secrets; they were shaking their heads at her and pointing at the glass that Ron was just about to drink. Faith made a show of pouring an invisible nothing into Reid's drink then held her hands up to her neck as if choking herself. "Ron, don't drink that," Hermione said suddenly.

Ron and Harry both looked up at her. "Why not?" asked Ron.

"You just put something in that drink," Hermione said accusingly at Harry. Faith, Tyler, and Reid were all nodding their heads at her to show that she was correct. Hermione couldn't believe that Harry would put something into Ron's drink.

"Excuse me?" Harry questioned, a sheepish look on his face.

"You heard me, I saw you," Hermione lied. _She _didn't actually see him, but her friends did. And as sad as it may be to some people, Hermione believed them over _everyone _else. Even Harry. "You just tipped something into Ron's drink. You've got the bottle in your hand right now!"

Hermione was only guessing that Harry would be daft enough to keep the bottle in his hands, but she was proven correct when Harry hastily said, "I don't know what you're talking about," while shoving a tiny little bottle into his pocket.

"Ron, I warn you, don't drink it!" Hermione said; an air of forcefulness in her voice.

Hermione became alarmed when Ron picked up the glass, drained it in one gulp and said, "Stop bossing me around, Hermione."

Hermione looked scandalized. She was annoyed that Ron would do such a rather idiotic thing. Bending low so that only Harry could hear her, she hissed, "You should be expelled for that. I never believed it of you, Harry."

"Hark who's talking," Harry whispered back in his own hiss. "Confounded anyone lately?"

Hermione balled her hands into fists. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Reid and Tyler both jump up but she shook her head at them. Harry and Ron noticed the exchange and their curiosity only intensified. Giving her two friends a deathly scowl, Hermione stormed across to her other group – the group that she found herself always wanting to spend time with. Hermione looked back at Harry and Ron only once when she sat next to Tyler, and she frowned when she saw Ron smacking his lips.

"Where's Ginny?" Hermione asked, trying to control her anger and reaching for a piece of toast.

"She already went out to the changing rooms," Tyler answered. "She ended up sleeping in our dorm last night after training. She was too upset and drained to walk back to the Gryffindor towers."

"Oh," looking over at Faith, Hermione snickered, "You – uh – you alright there, Faith?"

"Five by five, Doll Face."

"She's freezing," Reid rolled his eyes. "She's got a pair of tights under those jeans and a turtleneck under one of _my _long sleeves under _my _jacket, which she stole by the way."

Faith glowered at Reid from beneath the edge of her beanie. "Shut up, Reid."

Spike chuckled as he approached them, "Well, that's a first – Faith here, doesn't have anything witty to say?"

"Shut up, Spike," Faith glared at the blonde vampire. "I could still stake you."

Shaking his head at Faith, Reid looked up at Spike, "What's up, Spike?"

"Just wanted to wish my little lions luck in the game today," the vampire told them.

"Since when did you care about Quidditch?" Tyler asked.

"Since I learned that Minerva and Severus have a hundred galleons on each game," Spike whispered to his preferred group. "Don't tell anyone else about it though – they don't want the other professors or students finding out. I also just want to see Severus lose. I'll catch you lot later."

"Bye," they all chorused.

"Oh, and Scarlet," Hermione looked up at Spike so he leaned forward, making sure that no one else could hear him, "I heard that Vaisey and Mini Me aren't playing today. Vaisey got injured in yesterday's practice, and Mini Me is sick."

Hermione tilted her head over to the Slytherin table. She only now noticed that the silver four – as she took to calling them – were all missing. This was not good at all. "Thanks. Oh and William," Spike stopped moving, "Lindsey wrote back last night – here."

Taking the folded up letter from Hermione, Spike nodded his head, "I'll go over it while you're all watching the game. And I'll keep an eye out for Mini Me; see what mischief he's havocking."

"See what mischief he's havocking?" Faith repeated with a snort. "Being a professor is changing you, Spike. I'm sure B would love to hear that."

Spike left them with a bumpy forehead and his bared fangs at an amused Faith who was still shaking from the cold. "Oh, honestly Faith," Hermione rolled her eyes, pulling out her wand, "The Great Hall has a warming spell in it to keep everything nice and warm. Come here – _fervensium_!"

Faith suddenly stopped shivering and looked up at Hermione with a thankful look in her eyes, "Oh thank God, Doll Face. Why the hell didn't you use that on me before? Do you have any idea how much I've been freezing!"

"It only lasts for one hour," Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't think that you were _that _cold to the point where you couldn't handle it with a long jacket and some pants. I'll just make sure to keep using it on you while we're watching the game."

"Thanks, Doll Face."

Hermione and Faith sat between Reid and Tyler with Reid on Faith's side and Tyler on Hermione's side. The seating seemed different to Hermione though. Sure, Ron and Ginny weren't crowded next to her like they usually are when they cheer on Harry – or in her case, Draco – and she realized what was off about it this morning. Instead of the usual trio of Seamus, Neville, and Dean, off to her side as well, Seamus and Neville were pushed in the row behind her while Lavender and Parvati leaned over the gates to get a better look. Hermione smiled at the sight of it – Lavender wanted to be closer to the game so that she could see Ron better.

"Is that a giant lion on Luna's head?" Faith asked Hermione, pleased to not be shivering anymore.

Looking across at the Ravenclaw stands, Hermione grinned when she saw her loony best friend dressed in Gryffindor colors and wearing her infamous lion helmet. She nodded her head, "Yep, she made it last year. It roars too."

Laughing, Faith waved across the stand to an eagerly waving Luna. She opened her mouth to say something, but Tyler interrupted her with – "They're all coming out now, look – I see Ginny," he started waving. "Hi, Ginny!"

Hermione grinned when she saw how in awe Tyler was about everything. Leaning over Faith to get a good look at Reid, she saw that he was giddy about the whole thing too. He hasn't seen a Quidditch game since he was nine years old – he looked excited to be back in the wizarding world and surrounded by all of his wizarding people. Faith looked like she was more into taking in the scenery. The players started coming out one by one, and the pitch turned into a contest of cheers and booing. Luna's lion was loudly roaring amidst all of the students and professors, and everything became a sea of red and gold or green and silver. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws had chosen their sides as well, joining in on the festive Christmas colors.

"Captains, shake hands," Madam Hooch said, once Harry stepped up to her. Hermione saw that the new Slytherin Captain, Urquhart, squished Harry's hand in an all too non-friendly crushing shake. "Mount your brooms. On the whistle… three… two… one…"

The whistle sounded and Hermione heard Tyler cheer loudly with excitement as Harry and everyone else kicked off from the frozen grounds. "What's he doing?" Faith asked, leaning into Hermione as they all watched Harry stay in one place while looking between nothing and Harper, who was zigzagging right below him.

"It looks like he's keeping an eye out for the snitch," Hermione replied, "He's also keeping a close eye on Harper to make sure that he doesn't get to the snitch before him."

"And the snitch is the little golden ball thing with wings?"

Hermione nodded her head. "Exactly."

"I thought that Malfoy was the other Seeker," Faith told her. "So why is Harper playing instead of him?"

"William said that Malfoy was claiming to be sick," Hermione shrugged her shoulders, also confused and very disappointed that she wouldn't be able to see Draco play. She waited for this moment all summer.

Just then a new commentator's voice started speaking. Hermione thought it was odd to hear that it didn't belong to Lee Jordan. "Well, there they go, and I think we're all surprised to see the team that Potter's put together this year. Many thought, given Ronald Weasley's patchy performance as Keeper last year, that he might be off the team, but of course, a close personal friendship with the Captain does help…"

Hearing the mocking tone, Hermione and the rest of Gryffindor all craned their necks to see who the new announcer was. A tall skinny blonde boy with an upturned nose was standing there, talking into the magical microphone. Hermione sneered, "Zacharias Smith? Why the bloody hell is that pompous arse doing the commentary?"

"The Slytherins seem to love him," Faith told her. "I guess snakes always defend their own, huh?"

"He's not Slytherin," Hermione shook her head. "Smith is in Hufflepuff."

Faith's eyebrow rose as she listened to the jeering cat calls coming from the Slytherin stands. "Really? You would never think so."

"Oh, and here comes Slytherin's first attempt on goal, it's Urquhart streaking down the pitch and-" Hermione grabbed tightly onto Tyler's hand while Faith did the same with Reid. They all leaned forward, "-Weasley saves it, well, he's bound to get lucky sometimes, I suppose…"

"What a little blonde fucker!" Faith gasped. "Ron saved it fair and square."

_Ron saved it fair and square…_ Hermione groaned as she realized what Harry laced Ron's pumpkin juice with earlier that morning. "Oh, Harry," she muttered while shaking her head.

"What do you have against blondes?" Reid asked Faith, looking down at her with an incredulous look.

Blushing, Faith kept Reid's gaze, "Nothing, unless you're a little blonde fucker picking on people."

"I take it I can't take you home to meet my family then," Reid teased before turning back to the game.

"Is the infamous shag 'um and leave 'um Miss Faith Lehane, blushing right now?" Hermione teased with a friendly shoulder bump.

Faith blushed again then bumped Hermione back. "Just shut up and watch the game."

Hermione continued answering questions that both Faith and Tyler had at certain moments in the game while Reid kept leaning back to get into the heated conversations with Seamus and Neville about how much of a prat Zacharias was being and how Harry should just knock Harper off his bloody broom. Hermione nudged Tyler and they both smiled when they saw that Reid still had his fingers linked in with Faith's as he leaned back to talk to the boys. By the slight tinge on Faith's cheeks, Hermione could tell that she noticed it too, but in normal Faith fashion she chose to keep her hand linked with Reid's and continue watching the game and whispering with Hermione instead of being all giddy about it. Faith also smirked and winked at the glaring girls who watched them with obvious envy.

They were half an hour in and Gryffindor was winning with sixty points while Slytherin had nothing. Ron was amazing everyone with his miraculous saves, some by just the tips of his fingers. Ginny even scored four of Gryffindor's six goals and even Zacharias had to shut up and stop insinuating that Harry gave the two Weasley siblings the positions only because he liked them. Of course though, Zacharias was a prat, and prats always have to pick on someone.

"Of course, Coote isn't really the usual build for a Beater," Zacharias said, loftily. "They've generally got a bit more muscle."

Hermione rolled her eyes as she heard Harry point his chin towards Zacharias and shout, "Hit a bludger at him!" to Coote as he zoomed past, but instead, Coote continued to grin broadly and chose to aim the next bludger at Harper instead, who was just passing Harry in the opposite direction. It hit Harper, and with a grin Harry continued on his way.

"Why the hell can't we have this game?" Tyler said grudgingly. "It's not fair. I'd gladly give up football just to watch this every Friday night."

Chuckling, Hermione patted his hand. "I don't think the muggles would appreciate having flying brooms everywhere," she told him.

"Stupid muggles…" Tyler muttered. A flash of flowing red hair flew past him though, and instantly Tyler lit up. He leaned over the fence between Lavender and a fawning Parvati who kept staring at him. "Whooo, Ginny!" he cheered.

Faith smirked. "Seems like one of the Sons has a crush on the redheaded witch," a reminiscent look took over Faith's face and she genuinely smiled. "I almost don't want to break the poor kid's heart by telling him that the last redheaded witch I knew started to bat for the same team."

Hermione started to laugh. She knew that Faith was talking about Willow, and the last she remembered Faith told her that Willow was happily 'shacking it up' with another slayer named Kennedy.  
>"I don't think you have to worry about Gin turning out like Willow," Hermione smiled, "Or about Ty and Gin."<p>

"That's right," Faith snorted. "I forgot – he's only got eyes for a certain pug-nosed snake."

"I wonder what the _kid_ would say if he knew that you two were talking about _that_," Reid's voice entered their conversation. Leaning in closer to them so that his chin was practically resting on Faith's shoulder, Reid grinned. "He only said that she was cute."

"That's enough material to make his life hell," Faith laughed. "And what are you doing listening to us? You're supposed to be acting all manly and cursing about the announcer being a dickwad."

"Dickwad?" Hermione tried to keep a straight face, but it wasn't happening. She started laughing. "Oh, I missed you, Faith."

Reid also laughed a little. "Nice one, babe. I'm sure the Brits in this school haven't heard that one yet. Are you trying to Americanize them before we go back to LA?"

"Oh, but of course," Faith winked. "Now, leave us alone and go back to Seamus them."

"I'm hurt," Reid said, feigning hurt by placing the hand linked with hers over his heart and dramatically tossing his head back, "You wound me with your isolation."

Faith replied by sticking out her tongue and Reid winked at her before turning back to the males to discuss the game and how annoying Zacharias was being. Tyler was too immersed in the joys of Harry pretending to lead the conducting of the Gryffindors' singing 'Weasley Is Our King,' and he joined in – already knowing all the words thanks to previous letters from Hermione about it. Hermione and Faith stopped their laughter and 'gossiping' though when they heard Harper say something to Harry about Ron being a blood traitor, right above them. Like always, it was convenient that Madam Hooch had her back turned to them. By the time she did turn around though, Harry's shoulder was throbbing in pain and Harper was speeding off.

"The snitch!" Faith shouted at Harry, trying to get his attention so that he would follow after Harper. "Harry, he's following the snitch. Go after him!"

"He's chasing him," Reid announced, leaving his conversation once more. "I don't think he sees the snitch though."

"He doesn't," Hermione groaned, tightly gripping the rail that they were all leaning against. "He's only following after Harper so he can hit him back."

"And I think Harper of Slytherin's seen the snitch!" Zacharias announced through his megaphone. "Yes, he's certainly seen something that Potter hasn't!"

"About bloody time, Harry!" Hermione shouted, not noticing the odd looks from her fellow Gryffindor house mates – they were all still concerned about her snarky and witty outbursts lately. Seamus and Neville seemed to be the only ones who paid no mind to it – aside from her American friends.

Hermione watched as Harry accelerated; the wind was whistling in his ears so that it drowned out all of the sounds surrounding him. Harper was still ahead of him and Gryffindor was only a hundred points up; if Harper got to the snitch first, Gryffindor would lose. Harper was right there… just feet away from it… stretching out his hand…

"Oi, Harper!" Harry yelled out in desperation.

"What is he doing?" Hermione asked no one in particular, but loudly.

"How much did Malfoy pay you to come on instead of him?"

Hermione groaned and the three Americans all turned to her. "Bloody hell," she muttered while rubbing her forehead.

Harper did a double take and fumbled the snitch, allowing it to slip through his fingers and he shot right past it. Harry ended up making a great swipe for the tiny, fluttering ball and he caught it. "YES!" Harry shouted out. Wheeling around, he hurtled back toward the ground, the snitch held high in his hand.

"He got it," Tyler said to himself. He saw that everyone was still watching Harper, as if expecting him to come up with the snitch at any time, and he shouted out, "HE GOT IT! HARRY GOT THE SNITCH!"

Everyone turned to look at Harry and it sunk in – Harry caught the snitch! Gryffindor won the game! All of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and some of Hufflepuff all began cheering to the point that it drowned out the sound of the whistle that called the game to an end. "Ginny!" Harry yelled out, "Where are you going?"

Tyler, Faith, Reid, and Hermione all turned in the direction of Ginny. The Gryffindor Quidditch team was all engulfing Harry into a large group hug, but Ginny sped right past them. Hermione had a weird look on her face when she saw Harry open his arms for Ginny to tackle him into a hug as well, then drop his face when Ginny completely ignored him. "Harry?" she whispered.

"It's 'bout time you caught on, Sweetheart," Reid told the confused witch.

"Look-" Tyler said, laughing as he pointed at Ginny.

Everyone turned and watched as Ginny sped up then crashed and collided right into the commentator's podium. The entire crowd shrieked and laughed – even the Slytherins and other Hufflepuffs – while the rest of the Gryffindor team landed beside the wreckage of wood that Zacharias was now feebly stirring from. Ginny blithely told an irate Professor McGonagall, "Forgot to brake, Professor, sorry."

Laughing, Harry pulled away from the rest of the team and pulled Ginny into a very tight squeeze, but quickly let her go. Ginny gave Hermione and Faith a bewildered look when Harry avoided her gaze and clapped a cheering Ron on the back as, all enmity forgotten, the Gryffindor team left the pitch arm in arm, punching the air and waving to their supporters. Ginny looked back at Hermione them and mouthed for them to wait for her outside the changing rooms. Parvati dragged a scowling Lavender away, but not before they flashed her, what Hermione guessed, was supposed to be a threatening look.

"Ignore them, Doll Face," Faith told Hermione as they trudged down to the locker rooms. "Look-" she whispered, "It seems like he's not so sick after all."

Looking up at the direction Faith was nodding to, Hermione saw Draco leaning against the bleachers and staring at her. Hermione knew that it was an odd sight – her arm linked in with Faith's as they whispered with each other, and the two laughing and whooping Sons right behind them. Anyone who knew Hermione was used to such a sight with only Harry and Ron – they still found it odd to see her acting all friendly with even Ginny and Luna. "Why do you think he didn't play in today's game, then?" Hermione asked.

"Didn't you say something about the last time that he purposely didn't play in the game back in your third year; he feigned a broken arm from Buckbeak just so that he wouldn't have to play in the storm?"

Nodding her head, Hermione looked up at the skies. "There's no storm. It's actually a pretty good day considering the cold."

"He's up to something then."

"William said he was going to try and keep an eye on him today, while we were all at the match. We'll just meet with William later and see if he found out anything since we have to talk to him about Lindsey's letter too, anyway."

"Lindsey's letter?"

"You mean Reid didn't tell you guys about it this morning?"

Faith shook her head. "He only got to the table maybe five minutes before you did. We were mostly talking about Red. What did Lindsey say – did he send the list with all the names?"

"We'll discuss it later."

Slowly, one-by-one, all of the team members were making their way out. Hermione looked back to where she just saw Draco and noticed that Harper went directly to him. Rolling her eyes as she saw Draco hand Harper an envelope that most likely had money inside of it, Hermione glared back at him as Draco sneered at her then walked away with the rest of the Slytherins following behind him.

"You were awesome, Gin!" Tyler exclaimed, pulling the laughing girl into his arms and swinging her around. "That was so freaking cool!"

"Thanks, Ty!" swinging around in the air, Ginny's laughter filled the winds.

"Ginny," Dean shouted, eying the scene of his girlfriend being twirled by another bloke while she laughed, "Seamus said something about a party in the common room, c'mon!"

"I'll meet you there later!" Ginny shouted back. "I need to talk to Hermione about something."

Nodding his head, Dean left with Demelza. Ginny turned to Hermione and Faith, "Did you guys see the way that Harry grabbed…?"

"I'll meet with you guys later," Hermione told them, not listening to anything they were saying. "I need to talk to Ron and Harry about something."

"We'll meet you up in our room, then – Tyler, put Ginny down – we'll meet up with Spike later."

Waving goodbye to Reid them, Hermione saw that Harry and Ron weren't coming out of their locker room any time soon. "Stupid boys," she muttered under her breath. Walking into the changing rooms, she saw Harry congratulating Ron for doing such a good job. "I want a word with you, Harry," Hermione said, taking in a deep breath. "You shouldn't have done it. You heard Slughorn, it's illegal."

"What are you going to do?" Ron demanded in an annoyed huff, "Turn us in?"

"What are you two talking about?" Hermione was fuming when Harry turned away to hang up his robes.

"You know perfectly well what we're talking about!" Hermione exclaimed with a shrilly voice. "You spiked Ron's juice with the lucky potion at breakfast! Felix Felicis!"

"No, I didn't," Harry turned back to them with a grin on his face.

"Yes you did, Harry, and that's why everything went right, there were Slytherin players missing and Ron saved _everything_!" Hermione didn't mean to sound so bitter about it, but she was disappointed that she hadn't been able to watch Draco try and beat Harry – something she's come to secretly enjoy.

"I didn't put it in," Harry was broadly grinning. Slipping his hand inside of his jacket pocket, Harry pulled out the tiny bottle that Hermione had seen inside his hand earlier that same morning. It was filled with the golden potion and the cork was still tightly sealed with wax; showing that it hadn't been opened. "I only wanted Ron to think I'd done it, so I faked it when I knew you were looking," looking at Ron, Harry grinned, "You saved everything because you felt lucky. You did it all yourself."

"There really wasn't anything in my pumpkin juice?" Ron said, astounded, "But the weather's good… and Vaisey couldn't play… I honestly haven't been given lucky potion?"

Harry shook his head, "Nope."

Hermione was clenching her fist at the idea of Harry purposely trying to trick her, but managing to trick Faith's slayer skills instead. Faith wouldn't be too pleased about that. Hermione didn't feel any better when Ron turned on her and made his voice into a squeak, as if imitating her: "_You added Felix Felicis to Ron's juice this morning, that's why he saved everything!_ See! I can save goals without help, Hermione!"

_No you can't,_ Hermione thought bitterly to herself, _not without some sort of help from one of us; _she thought back to the rehearsals and how Ron wouldn't have even made it onto the team if it weren't for her. "I never _said _you couldn't, Ron, _you _thought you'd been given it too!"

Ron chose to ignore Hermione with his nose high in the air and his broomstick over his shoulder. Harry suddenly looked guilty and began to scratch the back of his neck. "Er… shall… shall we go up to the party, then? Professor Pratt told me that if I won today, he would have a box of thirty-two Hot Pockets waiting for me in my room."

Chuckling at the idea of Spike bribing Harry with Hot Pockets – something that the poor boy took to like Bellatrix craves muggle blood – Hermione shook her head. "You go!" she told him, blinking back tears. She didn't even know why she was crying – stupid bloody time of the month. And stupid bloody Draco for abandoning her and stupid bloody Ron for being such a dickwad! She chuckled to herself – she just found her new word! "I'm _sick _of Ron at the moment. I don't know what I'm supposed to have done…"

Hermione saw Harry open his mouth to awkwardly comfort her, but she didn't want to talk to him about it. She just wanted to stab something. Damn Faith and her influence. Walking towards the school grounds, Hermione looked back and saw Harry slowly following after her, unsure of what to do. Poor Harry – if he didn't even know how to comfort his best girl-friend, how on earth did he expect to defeat Voldemort? Shaking her head, Hermione added that to her long list of things to do before the end of sixth year. She was confused – why was Ron being such a bloody prat to her? Seeing Draco turn his back to her after the usual death glare, Hermione sighed. It was easy to understand why Draco hated her – she had her first kiss with his half-brother and kept the fact that she knew all about Reid from Draco when they were secretly dating, along with punching him three times in all their years of knowing each other. But what had she done to Ron – snog Viktor? The thought made Hermione giggle a little. If Ron was upset because she snogged Viktor Krum, imagine how he would react once he learned about her nights in the Room of Requirement, or on the Quidditch pitch, getting sweaty with Draco Malfoy. Ron looked up to Viktor Krum as an idol, but to him Draco Malfoy was nothing more than a Death Eater who deserved to rot in Azkaban – it would tear him apart.

"He likes you, you know."

Turning around, Hermione found herself face to face with Reid. "Ron?" she asked then nodded her head. "I've just figured it out."

"I knew you would," Reid snickered. "Why aren't you up at the party?"

"I don't really feel like partying," Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "Did you see William yet?"

"He gave me a box of Hot Pockets that Cordelia sent to him, to put on Harry's bed," hearing Hermione release a snorting laugh, Reid chuckled and leaned against the railing of the Astronomy tower. "When Pogue first introduced him to Hot Pockets, I never thought Harry would become so obsessed with it."

"Oh, you haven't seen his obsession yet," Hermione warned the blonde Son, "Wait until Christmas comes around."

"Let me guess. He only wants Hot Pockets."

"He'll throw a mini tantrum if he gets anything but."

Their laughter was soon broken by the arrival of four people that neither of them really wanted to see at the moment. Reid instantly grabbed onto Hermione's arm, ready to defend her if he had to. Pansy took one look around them, saw that it was only the duo, frowned then stormed off while complaining about the cold. Theo and Blaise both shared an uneasy look with each other, but with a nod from Draco, they too turned to leave.

"Granger," Blaise said, stopping suddenly. Hermione cocked an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Blaise kept his back to her, but said loudly enough for her and Reid to hear him, "Tell Gin that I said she played a good game today."

Hermione nodded her head, "I will, Zabini."

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Reid hissed at the little brother that he no longer knew.

"I just wanted to…" Draco stopped talking. Putting both hands in his pockets, his eyes landed on his brother's hand lying gently atop Hermione's. He sighed.

Hermione pulled her hand away from Reid's when she saw the reaction Draco had to the touch. Crossing her arms over her chest, she took in Draco's appearance. He looked broken down. His pale skin was tarnished with sunken in bags beneath his eyes and the red tint from lack of sleep. "You look like shit," she told him in a soft voice.

Draco chuckled, and for a brief second Reid saw his innocent little brother in there again while Hermione saw the Draco that she had learned to love. "I feel like shit."

Reid leaned with his back against the rail. "I heard you were the Slytherin Seeker."

"Not anymore," Draco shook his head.

"Too bad – I wanted to see if you got any better since I last saw you play. The Sweetheart seems to think you're pretty good."

Draco didn't even see the blush that graced Hermione's cheeks or the way she glared up at Reid. "I was seven when you last saw me play," Draco reminded Reid with a scoff. "I did grow up, Garwin."

"Yes you did," Reid nodded his head, "You grew into what your father wants you to be."

"You don't know-"

"Anything?" Reid questioned. "You forget who I am, little brother," Reid reminded Draco, lifting his jacket and shirt up so that Draco could see a scar starting from inside the front of his pants and turning up to his ribs, "I was also raised by Lucius."

"No," Draco shook his head, "You weren't. You got away, Reid," Hermione stepped forward, but Reid held her back when they heard the desperation in Draco's voice. "You _escaped!_ You _got away _from him! So no, you weren't raised by him. You don't know _anything_!"

"Dra-"

Draco looked over at Hermione then back at Reid and shook his head. "Just stay away from me. Stop what you're both doing! You can't save me – it's too late for me!"

Reid didn't exactly feel much like partying so he told Hermione that he was going to go up to Faith and Tyler's room. Feeling like her legs were made of lead, Hermione absentmindedly made her way to up to the Gryffindor towers. She couldn't even think properly. She just wanted to get into her bed and fall asleep, not waking up until after the war was finished. For a moment, Hermione didn't even care which side won anymore, just as long as they no longer had to fight.

Stepping into the common room, so many things happened at once. Harry and Ginny were awkwardly laughing about something, Lavender and Ron had their tongues down each other's throats, and the truth of what Draco just said and how he acted had rushed back into Hermione's memory. It's been only ten minutes since Draco left her and Reid standing alone at the Astronomy tower, but the way that it all overpowered her had her tears freely falling like rain while her knees began to buckle. She turned out of the portrait and ran.

_"This is how it has to be. You're a muggle-born," Draco told Hermione. For once he was glad that Reid had his arms around the witch, preventing her from reaching out to him, "And I'm a Death Eater. In the end, one of has to die."_

_ "I always hoped you would turn out better," Reid told his little brother. _

_ Draco met his brother's eyes and for the first time, Draco remembered a time when they were both younger and he wanted to be nothing more than just like Reid. "Protect her, Reid," Reid nodded his head, but said nothing in reply. Draco looked back at Hermione once more then walked away._

"Hermione?" Harry's familiar baritone called out to her.

Sitting alone in an unlocked classroom, Hermione looked away from the small ring of yellow twittering birds circling her head. "Oh, hullo, Harry," her voice came out brittle and broken. Pointing up at the birds that Harry was staring at, she calmly said, "I was just practicing."

"Yeah… they're – er – really good…" it was obvious that Harry didn't know what else to say.

Hermione could hear the hesitation in Harry's voice and she could see that he was struggling to find something to say to her. Not wanting Harry to question why she was crying, because she would never be able to answer him truthfully, Hermione said, "Ron seems to be enjoying the celebrations."

"Er… does he?"

Hermione wanted to laugh. Harry was trying to pretend that he didn't see Ron with Lavender. "Don't pretend like you didn't see him," she rolled her eyes, "He wasn't exactly hiding it, was–?"

The classroom door opened and a giggling Lavender was being pulled inside by Ron; their hands intertwined. "Oh," Ron said, looking around at Hermione and Harry.

"Oops!" Lavender giggled, backing out of the room.

There was a silence and Hermione couldn't remember a time when she had been in a position more awkward than this. And there was that one time when Luna and Blaise walked in on her riding Draco, mind you. Ron refused to look at Hermione, but turned to Harry instead. "Hi, Harry! Wondered where you'd got to!"

Deciding that she didn't want anything else to go wrong with her night, Hermione slid off of the desk she had been sitting on; the flock of birds still flittering around her head. "You shouldn't leave Lavender waiting outside," she said quietly, a sniffle in her voice as she tried to subdue her tears caused by Draco, "She'll wonder where you've gone," turning and leaving them alone in their own awkward silence, Hermione walked past Ron without saying anything else. As soon as she reached the door, she saw Lavender filing her nails across the hall, waiting for Ron. Lavender looked up and gave Hermione a sneer that made Draco's deadly looks seem like nothing less than a declaration of love. That was the final straw! _"Oppugno!"_ Hermione shrieked, turning back to Ron and pointing her wand at him.

Smirking as the pack of birds that had just been circling her head attacked Ron, Hermione heard him shouting for Harry to help him while Lavender shrieked and ran away before Hermione had a chance to do anything to her. Deciding that Gryffindor tower was the last place she wanted to be, Hermione made her way to the Room of Requirement – choosing to sleep there for the night – but she was disappointed when she saw that it was in use, and no matter how hard she tried to she just couldn't get inside of it. Groaning and kicking the door, Hermione turned away; ready to just bunk with Faith for the night – that is, if Reid didn't beat her to it.

Hermione was already halfway down the corridor, so she never heard the door open behind her nor had she seen the guilty tears streaming down from Draco's face as he held a bitten apple in the palm of his hands and watched her walk away from him.

**A/N: My dad's sister them lives in Stockton and I was too lazy to google the area code for LA or to actually call my aunty them to find out if they knew it, so I just looked through my phone and used my cousin Nancy's area code. Hmm… 2 people seem to like the Slug Club idea so far, so I'll definitely keep that in mind(:**

**Well I hope you guys liked this really long chapter that took 5 days to write with napping babies(: I tried to keep with the Ron and Hermione awkwardness, but I tried to make it where Hermione was crying or all salty about Draco instead of Ron whereas Ron still has a thing for her. I also decided to start making more Draco/Reid and Reid/Faith scenes. I'm sort of proud of this chapter, but I don't care for it too much! Please review and tell me what you guys liked or didn't like(:**


	12. Wolfram And Hart

Wolfram And Hart

Hermione sat between Ginny and Luna while Faith, Reid, and Tyler all stood up behind them. They were all in the Defense classroom with Spike and Professor Snape, talking about what Lindsey's letter could have meant. Although Professor Snape made it known that he couldn't give away any of the other names of Death Eaters in the school, he was trying his hardest to meet with the group. Ginny and Reid were both still wary about trusting Professor Snape with everything, but Hermione felt that they had nothing else to lose. As long as Harry and the rest of the Order didn't find out the truth, she would trust Professor Snape. It was obvious enough that although Spike didn't personally like the professor as a person, he trusted him and that was really all that Hermione needed. Luna was just willing to trust anybody, and Faith claimed that she didn't get that much of a bad vibe off of the professor. Tyler made it known that the only reason he was trusting Professor Snape was because he figured that Harry _didn't_ trust him, and so far he didn't trust anything that Harry trusted.

"Is there any way that you can tell us what Voldemort's task for Draco is?" Faith asked. "Without Voldemort finding out?"

Professor Snape shook his head. "I already told Albus what the Dark Lord has planned for Draco, and I can't risk anyone else finding out about it."

Spike sighed. "And it's not like Albus is willing to tell us anything. He suspects that we're here to do more than just help the Order win the war."

Hermione paled. "Do you think he knows the truth about me then?"

"He doesn't," Professor Snape shook his head. "Albus suspects a lot, but what he does not suspect is the truth. He believes that Mr. Garwin is here to redeem his brother's soul, but he also believes for some reason that Mr. Garwin is here for Miss. Granger."  
>"But Reid <em>is<em> here for Hermione," Ginny frowned. When Hermione blushed and Reid began to gag on air though, her eyes widened. "Oh – so, Professor Dumbledore believes the rumors about Hermione and Reid as well then?"

Spike snarled. As if he would he would allow someone like Reid Garwin to date his Scarlet. It was bad enough that the young witch was already foolishly in love with the mini blonde prat. "Did Albus tell anyone in the Order about what the mission is?" Spike asked. "Would Remus know?"

"No," Professor Snape shook his head, "Albus wants this to remain between us."

Tyler cleared his throat. "Albus is a very secretive person, ain't he? I mean he doesn't tell anyone else what you guys talk about, and he told Harry that he's only allowed to tell Hermione and Ron about their trips into Voldemort's mind. What else do you think he's hiding?"

"I do not know," Professor Snape sighed, leaning against his desk. In this moment he seemed more human to Hermione. Leaning against a desk with a sigh in his throat, Severus Snape didn't seem so scary to her anymore. He looked like someone who was fighting for something he deeply cared about. "I can't tell you what the task is, and I don't know what secrets Albus is hiding from all of us, but I do know a little bit."

Luna nodded her head, "That's why you're helping us, isn't it, Professor? Because you know things that could help Hermione save Draco?"

"Don't you mean that he knows things that could help us save Hermione, Luna?" Tyler asked her.

It was Faith who shook her head. "No, Ty. Luna's got it right. Severus here is willing to help us save Doll Face, but Draco's his godson – he wants to save him as well."

Luna nodded her head, "That's why he took the Unbreakable Vow."

Ginny, Reid, and Hermione all gasped, but everyone else was confused. "What's the Unbreakable Vow?" asked Faith.

Reid's eyes were as wide as saucers, and Professor Snape turned to Luna. "How do you know I made an Unbreakable Vow?"

"The frecklehorns are crowding your cheeks," Luna answered in her usually serene voice. "They surround a person who's made an Unbreakable Vow, trying their hardest to protect them. You have thousands of them swarming around your face, which means that you must have made a heavy promise."

Staring at Luna as if he still couldn't believe a person could be so odd, Professor Snape merely nodded his head at her, and then turned back to the rest of the crowd. "An Unbreakable Vow is a vow that you cannot break."

"I figured that from its name," Faith scoffed. "But what's so special about it?" she already knew not to question Luna's odd creature.

"If you break an Unbreakable Vow," Reid whispered in a low voice, "You die."

Spike cocked an eyebrow up at the professor that he was forced to work alongside with. "So you can't tell us what Voldemort's got Mini Me doing, but you're trying to help us stop him from doing it, yet you'll die if he doesn't do it?"

Ginny gasped and flew her hands up to her mouth. Professor Snape gave her a confused look before shaking his head, "Narcissa came to me during the summer holidays with Bellatrix in her tow, and Bellatrix was warning her that the Dark Lord would kill her for releasing that kind of information to me," when he heard a sharp sound escape Reid, Professor Snape merely bowed his head to him, "Your mother is fine, Mr. Garwin," he informed him, "The Dark Lord has already trusted me with the task. Narcissa simply just asked me to protect Draco. She wanted to ensure that I would take over the task should Draco fail."

"So you're willing to die?" asked Tyler.

Professor Snape nodded his head, "If need be, but I promise you Mr. Simms, I will not die. Albus knows what the task is, and he's ordered me to see it through. I'm not trying help you prevent Draco from performing the task, I'm helping you to protect both Miss Granger and Draco."

"But with the-"

Professor Snape shook his head. "This task must be completed. If it is not seen through, then there will be nothing left of Draco to save. Albus and I are already planning on me stepping in."

"But you said that-"

"I said that I would help protect Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy. Leave Draco's task alone already. There are more important matters to be discussed. Like your lawyer friend – have you heard from him yet?"

Everyone turned to Hermione, and she shook her head. "Not since the letter we got from him last week. If we should forget about the task, then should I let Lindsey know that we shouldn't bother with finding out what it was that Draco was trying to buy in Borgin and Burkes?"

Professor Snape nodded his head. "Albus and I know what Draco was looking at. He wasn't trying to purchase anything, he was merely looking for help in fixing up a… mirror copy of the item that he already has."

"That's that then, ain't it," Spike said, "So we ignore whatever Mini Me's task is, and we focus just on protecting Scarlet, and getting Mini Me out of being a Death Eater."

"Miss Granger," Professor Snape turned his cool gaze onto Hermione, and she bravely stared him back into his soulless eyes. She felt herself wanting to gasp, but she held it in. The black eyes that were once soulless now held truth and pain in them. "In the last letter from your friend, he mentioned something about finding a way to get rid of the dark mark?"

Hermione nodded her head, "His friend heard something about it, and she's trying to find it for us. We could use it on you and-"

Professor Snape shook his head, "No, foolish girl, not on me. I must remain a Death Eater in order for Albus's plan to work in the future. This antidote can save Draco though?"

"We're hoping it can," Reid nodded his head.

"We must prepare then," Professor Snape warned them. "Lucius is a very proud man. You of all people should know that by now, Mr. Garwin. He will not take you guys stealing his only remaining heir, very kindly, and he'll act out. You must be prepared once Draco's mark has vanished. There are more innocent lives at stake here."

Christmas was quickly approaching them, and snow was already taking over the skies and icing their windows. There were no more breaks between light snow and sun; the season was already white. The Great Hall was already filled with its dozen Christmas trees, hand delivered by Hagrid; garlands of holly and tinsel were already twisted around the banisters of Hogwarts stairs; everlasting candles were glowing from inside the helmets of suits of armors, and great bunches of mistletoe had been hung at every intervals along the corridor. Hermione, Ginny, and Faith all rolled their eyes as they watched swarms of girls trying their hardest to catch Harry underneath the mistletoes, while Luna tried her hardest to avoid the nargles that haunted those very mistletoes.

"I'm not going to walk under them," an aggravated Reid assured Faith who didn't seem to appreciate a group of Ravenclaws trying to trap Reid under one of the mistletoes. "I'm not that naïve."

Faith, who was just glaring at Reid as if he killed her puppy, pretended that she had no idea what he was talking about. "Why are you telling me that?" she asked him. "I don't care if you go under a mistletoe with one of those love-spell-potion-using-witches."

"Then why are you staring at me as if I killed your damn puppy?" Reid questioned, unable to control his annoyance.

Narrowing her eyes even more, Faith snarled, "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't even have a puppy."

"That's not the-" sighing, Reid shook his head. It just wasn't worth it. Faith was going to be Faith no matter what he said.

"Reid!"

Keeping her close distance to Reid, Faith turned her narrowed eyes on the sixth year Ravenclaw that was running towards them. Seeing the way that Faith was reaching towards her boot, Reid tried to scan the area for Hermione or someone who could save this poor Indian girl. "Hey Padma," he smiled, nervously waving one hand at her and quickly grasping Faith's dagger hand with the other. "What's up?"

Faith cautiously watched the girl who approached them. The girl was wearing long royal blue leggings underneath her school skirt, with a matching royal blue jumper over what Faith assumed was her school shirt. The Indian girl had long thick black hair that fell along her waist. "Hi," the girl smiled at Faith in a friendly way. "Erm… you're Faith right?"

Reid saw Faith cock an eyebrow and nod her head. Opening his mouth before the slayer had a chance to say something bitter, he said, "Um, Faith this is Padma Patil; Parvati's twin sister; Parvati's in my year in Gryffindor, and Padma's in Ravenclaw."

"Oh, right," Faith curtly nodded her head. "I remember hearing about you."

"Right," Padma was still smiling, as if she couldn't sense Faith's hostility towards her presence. "Reid, did you see my sister?" when Reid and both Faith shook their heads, Padma's smile quickly dropped, and she groaned. "Did you guys hear anything about Lavender going home with the Weasleys for the holidays?"

"Umm… no?" Faith slowly said.

Reid shook his head, "I didn't hear anything."

"Bloody hell," Padma growled. "Lavender usually comes over for a couple of days during the holidays, and normally I put up with it because it's only a couple of days, but I swear if I have to hear her talk about Ron Weasley, I'm going to hex her… her and Parvati."

Elbowing Faith when he heard her start to chuckle, Reid shook his head at Padma again, "Sorry Padma, but I don't know. I'll let you know though if I hear anything."

"Thanks Reid," she sighed. "And if you see my sister will you let her know that I'm looking for her. I want to at least know if I should sign up to stay here or not."

"Sure," Reid chuckled.

"It was nice meeting you, Faith," Padma told the slayer.

Nodding her head, Faith forced a smile, "Yeah, you too. Err… good luck with the Lavender thing."

"Thanks," Padma smiled again, before rolling her eyes in an exasperated way, "I'm going to need it," she walked a couple of feet before turning around again, "Oh, and Reid, be careful in the Great Hall. I heard a couple of younger girls plotting on trapping you with a mistletoe during dinner."

Feeling Faith squeeze his hand to the point that he thought it was going to pop like a Snarglepuff pod, Reid released a hiss, "Ouch! Dammit, Faith!"

Hermione was sitting outside on a bench, allowing the snow to fall down on her. Dressed warmly in black leggings and the same hoodie that she stole from Angel two years before, she felt her silky smooth hair falling along her back. It seemed like a lifetime's passed since she started taming her hair, and it still felt strangely new to her. Wearing her black beanie underneath the hood of the hoodie, Hermione allowed her hair to just fall wherever it wanted to. Choosing to wear her furry boots instead of the leather ones in the winter, Hermione stared blankly in front of her. It's been a week since the first Quidditch game, and she was more confused than she's ever been.

"Faith would probably think you were insane right now."

Lifting her head up, Hermione saw Tyler sitting down next to her on the bench, and she chuckled. "Yeah, well Faith just doesn't understand how beautiful snow can truly be."

"Well I don't know about it being beautiful, but I do like how cold it is."

"You like how cold it is?" laughing, Hermione shook her head. "You truly are an odd person, Tyler."

Tyler shrugged his shoulders, "Oh well, I like being odd. It helps keep me sane knowing that I'm nothing like all those ordinary people."

"I guess."

"So what are you thinking about?" Tyler asked her.

"Yesterday."

"Ahh," Tyler nodded his head then stepped off the bench. Sitting down on the snow so that he could rest his back against the bench, he tilted his head backwards and looked up at Hermione. "You couldn't sleep either then, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Don't think too much about it," he told her.

"I can't help it," Hermione sighed. "I mean, I just don't get it. Why would Professor Dumbledore help Draco with his task? I mean, Katie was almost killed because of this task. Draco himself told me that he needed to kill two people. I know that one of them is Reid, but he said that the other person is in Hogwarts. He told me that the person at Hogwarts is the highest one on his list, and that with him dead I wouldn't be a high target anymore. He said that this death would distract Harry from everything."

Tyler's face scrunched up. "When the hell did he tell you that?"

"That day that you guys came to Hogwarts," Hermione reminded him. "Remember when you guys found us in Hogsmeade, when he had me pinned against the tree?" Tyler vaguely nodded his head, so she continued, "I thought that he gave Katie the cursed necklace to give it to me, but he told me that it wasn't meant for me. I thought he was trying to kill me, but he told me that he was ordered to kill someone else. That's his task Tyler – he has to kill someone in Hogwarts."

"But why would Dumbledore just allow him to kill someone? I mean why would he tell Severus to help Draco kill someone?"

Hermione sighed, "I don't know. That's what I've been up all night trying to figure out."

Ron chose that moment to walk past them with Lavender holding tightly onto his arm. Hermione remembered seeing him earlier the next morning in the common room with Harry and Dean. He was showing them the scratches and cuts on his hands and arms from when she attacked him with the birds. Hermione snorted at the memory of that night; she hadn't meant to lose her cool, but Ron was already being such a git to her, Draco already had her in tears, and Lavender's bitchy attitude didn't help things either. She didn't regret it at all. If Ron wanted to keep being a dickwad, then she would continue to ignore him as well. It's not like he's her only friend, after all.

"They're worse than Pogue and Kate when _they_ first started dating," Tyler said in disgust, also noticing the way that Lavender wrapped herself around Ron, forcing them to walk like one person.

"At least Kate didn't call Pogue, some stupid silly little name, like Po-Po… did she?"

Laughing at the hope in Hermione's voice, Tyler shook his head. "No – unlike Lav-Lav's wuv for wittle Won-Won, there was no Kit-Kat or Pog-Pog."

"Oh no," Hermione laughed, trying to cover her snorting up with her hands, "Poor Pogue. I think we just found a new name for him."

Tyler nodded his head, also snorting. Neither of the two laughing and snorting friends noticed the death glares coming their way from both Ron and Lavender. "Pog-Pog is going to kill us."

An hour after finally calming down, the two friends remembered the reason why they were so somber before seeing Ron with Lavender. Resorting back to her old ways, Hermione told Tyler that she would meet him in his common room later, then she ran back up to the school. It was when she was buried deeply underneath textbooks about magical bonds, and finding ways through magical contracts, that Hermione realized she was no longer alone. Looking up from her books, she saw that Harry was sitting across from her. He had a vacant expression in his eyes, and was staring blankly at her.

"Merlin, Harry," Hermione gasped out in fright. "You scared me. How long were you sitting there?"

"Not that long," Harry shrugged his shoulders. "What are you reading?"

"Books for class," Hermione quickly lied, pushing the books away. "Do you need anything?"

"A break from Ron," Harry sighed, before quickly shaking his head and grinning up at Hermione. "How have you been, Hermione? I hardly see you around anymore."

Making sure that she hid most of the books' titles from Harry, Hermione sighed. "I'm sorry Harry, but I've been so busy lately. I still have more classes than most of the students, and I'm trying to help Faith with a problem."

"Oh," Harry frowned. "I thought that you weren't coming around because of Ron."

"Of course not," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Why would you think that?"

"Well, you did attack him with birds."

"I was having a rough night," Hermione reminded him, "And he was being such a di – a prat, and when I walked out of the classroom, I saw Lavender glaring at me, and I just lost my cool. But I'm not going to apologize for it. He started it when he ignored me."

"Right," Harry chuckled. "Look, Hermione, I know that it's hard to see Ron and Lavender kissing all the time, but-"

"What?" Hermione whispered loudly, trying to ignore a glare from Madam Pince. "Is that what you think, Harry? Ron's at perfect liberty to kiss whomever he likes. I really couldn't care less."

Hermione lowered her quill onto her parchment, and dotted an _i _so harshly that she punctured a hole into it. Waiting for Harry to say something to her, Hermione cautiously watched him lower his head over the Half-Blood Prince's book once more, and make notes on Everlasting Elixers. Is that what Harry truly thought? Did he think that she spent all of her time crying over the loss of Ron? Maybe back when they were in third year, but she was no longer a thirteen year old school girl. Hermione Granger grew up. She no longer needed Ron and Harry to make her whole. She survived the first two months of her Hogwarts years without Ron and Harry, and she could survive however longer it would take. She loved Ron and Harry both like brothers, but if Ron could quickly give up their friendship for something that she no longer remembered, and if Harry could easily choose Ron's side just to avoid confrontation, then she could do perfectly well without them. That summer in LA changed Hermione, and to most people it may seem like it changed her for the worst, but to Hermione, she's never been any better than this. She was still a bookworm, but she was no longer _just _a bookworm. She had a purpose now… Hermione Granger was no longer just one-third of a trio, but she was now her own person. And she had her own mission to solve.

"And incidentally," Hermione said, after a few quiet moments of thinking, "You need to be careful."

"For the last time," Harry growled in a slightly hoarse whisper after fifteen minutes of silence, "I'm not giving back this book. I've learned more from the Half-Blood Prince than I've learned from-"

"I'm not talking about your stupid bloody Prince," Hermione scowled, glaring at the book in front of her as if it were a Death Eater. She had better things to do than to keep worrying over Harry's belongings. "I'm talking about something else. When I went to the loo earlier, I saw that there were over a dozen girls in there, including Romilda Vane. They were all trying to decide on how to slip you a love potion. They're all hoping that you'll ask one of them to Slughorn's party, and they've all seemed to have bought Fred and George's love potion," Hermione slightly blushed. "And they work."

Harry's jaw dropped, and his eyes darkened. "Then why didn't you confiscate them?"

_Because I have better things to do than confiscate love potions,_ Hermione thought bitterly. "Because they didn't have the potions with them," she replied, scornfully. "They were just talking about it. And I truly doubt that the _Prince _would have an antidote for dozens of love potions at once, so you should just invite someone to go with you. The party is tomorrow night, and you should probably get a date just to show that it won't be one of them."

"But I don't want to invite anyone," Hermione noticed the blush that took over Harry's cheeks, and she held in her smirk as she figured out who he was thinking about.

Seeing that Harry was about to get lost in a daydream that had her sniggering to herself, Hermione sighed. "Well, just be careful about what you drink, Harry. Romilda looked serious while she talked about it."

"Hang on a moment," Harry said suddenly, "I thought that Filch had put a ban on anything from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes?"

Staring at Harry as if he were the stupidest person alive, Hermione slowly said, "Since when did anyone listen to anything that Filch said?"

"But all the owls are being searched," he told her. "So how are all those girls getting the potions?"

"Fred and George send them disguised as perfumes and cough potions. It's part of their Owl Order Service."

Harry smirked. "You seem to know a lot about that."

Narrowing her eyes at Harry the way she would usually glare at Draco, Hermione debated whether or not it was time to show Harry just how much she truly had changed. She would introduce him to Destiny first. Then Freedom. Then she would show him how much physical combat she learned from her American friends. "It was on the back of the bottles that they showed to me and Ginny," she chose to say instead, still scowling at him. "I don't go around putting potions into people drinks… or pretending to, which just as bad as-"

"Yeah, yeah," Harry quickly interrupted her. "The point is that Filch is being fooled isn't he? If these silly little girls could get around Filch, then what's to say that Malfoy-"

"Oh, Harry," Hermione groaned. "Don't go into that again."

"Why not?" Harry demanded.

Thinking to herself, Hermione also tried to think of why Draco couldn't have possibly snuck anything past filch. Then she thought back to what Snape told them the day before. Draco wasn't buying anything from the shop; he already has the item that he needs for his task, he was only asking how to fix it because his is broken. Trying to rack her brain to think of anything in that shop that would have two of it, Hermione saw Harry darkly staring at her. Proud of herself for learning Occlumency, just in case Harry was trying to use Leglimency on her, Hermione was also proud of herself for managing to not gasp when it dawned on her – the item is already at Hogwarts.

Hermione sighed. "Secrecy sensors detect jinxes, curses, and concealment charms," she explained to Harry. "So they're used to pick up Dark Magic and Dark objects, aren't they? It would have picked up something like the necklace that Katie had, in a heartbeat. Besides, love potions aren't dangerous, so there's nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about?" gawked Harry, "Nothing to worry about? Hermione are you mental? Romilda Vane is going to try and poison me with one of those love potions. My pride and my life are both on the line. I think that Secrecy Sensors should at least find something as evil and as dark as a love potion."

Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry's dramatic speech. "When it all comes down to it; perfumes and cough potions are left to Filch to determine what it really is. And he's not a very good wizard is he?"

Hearing somebody moving behind the shelves, Hermione immediately stopped talking. Her face paled, and her heart started racing as she expected Draco to jump out at them any moment. She rarely saw him around the school since that day that he talked to her and Reid, and now she was expecting him to jump out at her and Harry, and just kill her already. It would make things a lot easier on him, and as much as she doubted that Professor Dumbledore would sit aside and allow Professor Snape to help Draco kill her, Hermione felt that she couldn't trust the headmaster anymore. He _was _allowing Draco to kill _somebody_, and maybe Professor Dumbledore felt that she knew too much about his late night missions with Harry. Maybe that was why he was allowing Harry to tell her about their late night missions – because she was going to die anyways. Looking across at Harry, Hermione saw that he sensed somebody was there too, but he didn't seem as frightened as she was. Of course he wasn't nervous right now – it wasn't his ex that was going to kill him all because he had daddy issues.

Once Hermione's mind started to go into overdrive and she pictured the headmaster sitting in the dungeons with Professor Snape and Draco, laughing about her murder, she saw Madam Pince step out from behind the shelves. Releasing a breath that she hadn't realized she was holding, Hermione heard the librarian say, "The library is closed now. Mind you return anything you have borrowed to the correct – _what have you been doing to that book, you depraved boy_?"

Harry hastily snatched his book off the table as Madam Pince lunged for it. "It isn't the library's," he shouted at her, "It's mine!"

"Despoiled!" Madam Pince hissed, "Desecrated! Befouled!"

Harry continued to tug it out of the librarian's grip, "It's just a book that's been written on."

Already having her own books put away into her purse – along with some of the books that she had been reading before Harry interrupted her – Hermione stood up from the amusing scene in front of her. Reaching her hand out, she grabbed onto Harry and frog marched him out of the library. "She'll ban you from the library if you're not careful. Why did you have to bring that stupid book?" although, Hermione had to admit, it was fun to watch Harry and Madam Pince in a tug-o-war over it. Her money was on the deranged librarian to win.

"It's not my fault she's barking mad, Hermione. Or do you think she overheard you being rude about Filch? I've always thought there might be something going on between them…"

Sarcastically laughing at Harry's disgusting remark about the caretaker and the librarian, Hermione tried her hardest not to allow _that_ image into her mind. Before, it would have probably been an innocent picture of the two adults simply kissing on the cheek, and Filch arriving at the library wearing an old dusty brown colored suit with a silly little orange bow tie, and possibly holding a bouquet of wilted flowers, but now that she's done more than most girls her age, Hermione had a full mental image of wrinkly old bodies, a room smelling like sweat and stale sex, and she wanted to throw up. Why did her mind have to be such a bloody over-achiever? Harry continued to argue about Filch and Madam Pince being secretly in love with each other, and Hermione smiled at her friend's innocent state of mind, while trying to shake away her own nasty thoughts about what the two of them were most likely doing when all the students were supposedly supposed to be sleeping. Hermione argued against Harry just to keep her sanity, and the two of them were laughing by the time they reached the Gryffindor tower.

"Baubles," Harry told the Fat Lady.

"Same to you," the Fat Lady replied with a roguish grin, swinging forward and allowing them access.

Hermione bit her tongue to keep from laughing when she saw Romilda Vane run up to Harry once they stepped through the portrait. "Hi Harry! Fancy a gillywater?"

Harry looked over at Hermione, and she gave him a 'what-did-i-tell-you?' look. "No, thanks," he quickly stammered, "I don't like it much."

Thrusting a box of chocolates into Harry's hands, Romilda quickly said, "My cousin sent these to me, but I don't like firewhiskey filled Chocolate Cauldrons. You can have them."

"Oh – right – err – thanks…" rolling her eyes at Harry's response, Hermione spotted Reid sitting in a corner by himself. He seemed to be waiting for her. "I'm just going over here with…"

Hearing Harry's voice trailing off as he quickly ran after her, Hermione leaned in towards him, "Told you so. The sooner you ask someone, they'll leave you alone and you can…" Hermione trailed off when she saw Reid stand up and lift his head towards the portrait. On a chair next to Reid, Hermione saw Ron and Lavender both intertwined with one another. She paled when she saw a letter in Reid's hands. "Well, goodnight, Harry."

_My friend at Wolfram and Hart gave me interesting news. Angel owns it now. I'm going in for the attack so I can finally get my freedom from them completely. I don't know if I'll survive it or not; probably not. If you need anything, just contact my friend, and she'll help you out. She's still searching for the antidote for the dark mark, and she'll keep in touch with you guys. She also found out what the item that Draco was looking at was… it's a Vanishing Cabinet!_

_ Good luck with everything little darling,_

_ -Lindsey_

Hermione felt tears rolling down her cheeks while Faith and Spike spoke in a whispered conversation. Feeling her heart beat slowing down, Hermione looked up from the note and saw that Reid and Tyler both didn't know what to say or do. "Angel's one of them now?" she asked in a cracked voice.

"I don't know, Scarlet," Spike sighed while running a hand through his platinum colored spikes. "But if Angel is running the place, it can't be good."

"But B would've called us if Angel was Angelus again."

"And what about Cordelia?" asked Tyler. "She would've owled us if anything went wrong."

"Could it be possible that Angel's trying to bring down Wolfram and Hart from the inside?" asked Reid. "I mean, what if he's working there to destroy them?"

Hermione looked around and she could see that Faith seemed to be the most one confused from the letter. It was as if Faith felt betrayed by the idea of Angel turning evil outside of his Angelus form. Hermione felt sorry for Faith – when she turned dark, it was Angel who brought her back to the light. "Look," Hermione told her friends, "If you guys want to go down to LA and check on-"

"Don't be stupid," Faith quickly told her. "We aren't leaving you here on your own."

Tyler shook his head, "I could stay back with her. She'll have Severus here, plus Ginny and Luna, then me and Reid. You and Spike could-"

"No," Spike shook his head. "I'm going out to Hogsmeade and calling Cordelia, so she can explain everything to me. I'll let you guys know in the morning."

Turning to Hermione, Faith said, "I'll go with him, and I'll call B to see if she heard of anything."

"Okay," Hermione nodded her head. "Reid and I will wait here with Tyler."

"No," Spike shook his head again. "I mean you guys can crash here if you want, but I have a feeling that I'm going to need a drink or two after the phone call."

"Spike's right," Faith sighed. "As much as I hate the snow, I might go out into the Forbidden Forest and slay a couple of evil things. Albus said that I'm allowed to, as long as I don't touch the centaurs. We'll just fill you in before classes."

The next morning had both Reid and Hermione on their nerves. They stayed up all night with Tyler, but the vampire and slayer didn't return until only half an hour before the sun rose. They both explained their separate phone calls while Reid and Hermione were trying to get ready for their last classes before the winter holidays. Reid showed up to class with wrinkled pants and a wrinkled shirt while his tie was upside down. Hermione went back to her old ways, with her bushy hair surrounding her face, and her knee lengthened skirt. Grateful for the fact that with her school robes fastened shut nobody could tell that she wasn't wearing a shirt, Hermione didn't even bother to put on her robes before running out of Spike's tower with Reid right behind her. They only just barely made it to Professor McGonagall's class on time.

Hermione and Reid sat on their own, and they didn't even bother to pay attention to Harry or Ron who was sitting in front of them. Professor McGonagall had all of them working in front of mirrors and changing the color of their eyebrows. Hermione heard Harry snickering, which brought her out of her dark thoughts, and she looked up just in time to see Ron sporting a spectacular handlebar mustache. Thinking about how she spent two years having a crush on Draco, just to date him for six months, then having him trying to kill her; Hermione also thought about the irony of Professor Dumbledore helping Draco to kill her, and the conversation with Spike and Faith in the morning had Hermione doubling over in her seat in laughing. With all of the stress that she was enduring, plus with Ron being such a prat to her, and Lavender still sending her death glares every chance that she had, Hermione just couldn't hold in her emotions anymore. It was either laugh or cry, and right now her laughing nerves were taking over.

Ron heard Hermione laughing, and he heard the sinister tone to it, so assuming that she was mocking him, he decided to start jumping up and down in his seat; waving his hand in the air every time Professor McGonagall would ask the class a question. Hermione saw Reid's eyes start to darken when Lavender and Parvati began laughing like hyenas at Ron's motions, but Hermione stopped him with a shake of her head. Hermione gritted her teeth, and tried her hardest to ignore Ron, but when he noticed that she wasn't reacting to him, he started to make eager sounds, begging Professor McGonagall to pick him. Lavender and Parvati both started to laugh even harder, and Hermione felt her nerves crack again. Before she could control them, her tears started to fall. Once the bell rang, Hermione left all of her things behind and quickly raced out of the classroom. She heard Reid and Harry calling after her, but she ignored them both.

"Don't," Harry told Reid, who was closing in on Ron, "He isn't worth it."

Glaring at Harry for a bit, Reid saw the way that Ron was cowering his desk with Lavender attached to his arm once more, and he nodded his head in agreement. "I'm going to make sure she's alright."

Taking Hermione's purse from Reid, Harry cleared his throat. "If you don't mind, I'll do it. I kind of want to talk to her anyway," when he saw that Reid wasn't going to move, Harry sighed. "Look Reid, I understand that you and Hermione have some sort of thing going on between the two of you, and I appreciate you taking care of her the way that you do, but she was my friend once too, and I kind of miss her. I'm not going to do anything wrong to her, I just want to check on my old friend and talk to her about something."

Sighing, Reid finally nodded his head. "When you're done talking to her, can you tell her that I'll be with Tyler and Ginny?"

"Ginny?" Harry's head snapped up,

Reid nodded his head again, "Yeah. We'll be over in Tyler's tower."

Hermione was sitting on the floor of a girls' loo, thinking back to what Spike and Faith both told all of them just two hours before.

_"I couldn't get a hold of B," Faith told them, "But Red answered her phone, and she told me that she and her girlfriend got a call from Wolfram and Hart a couple of days ago. Something happened with security and runes; Red didn't understand all of it, but she said that it had to do with an ex-employee of the company who was trying to blow it up. Angel called her for help to shut him down."_

_ "An ex-employee," Hermione gasped, "But that's Lindsey. Angel knows that Lindsey's on our side – the good side. Did Willow do it?"_

_ "No," Faith shook her head, "Kennedy's slayer skills kicked in, and she told Red that she didn't feel too good about it. When I called Xander, he said that he doesn't keep in touch with anyone anymore. He doesn't even know where Red and Kennedy are staying at now."_

_ Spike was sitting down on the couch. "I called Lil Bit before I called Cordelia, and she said that Buffy's living with her newest vampire boyfriend in Italy, but that she doesn't know anything about Angel. She said that she's in school in New York now with a couple of the other slayers, and they sort of keep a low key profile. They hardly even keep in touch with Buffy that much anymore either."_

_ "Lil Bit?" Tyler cocked an eyebrow. "That's Buffy's sister, right?"_

_ Spike nodded his head. "I figured that if anyone would know anything it would be her. She was always sneaking around and listening in on peoples' secrets."  
><em>

_ Hermione didn't even care that she was standing in front of Reid, Tyler, or Spike with only her knickers and bra on. She stopped running around the room, and stood right in front of Spike. She knew that she should be more worried about Angel owning Wolfram and Hart, but all she could think about was the hurt in Spike's voice when he mentioned that Buffy had a new vampire boyfriend. Hermione could only see the pain in his eyes as he tried his hardest not to kill someone right now. Remembering her own pain when she saw Draco with Pansy in the Great Hall on their first day back at Hogwarts, Hermione knelt down in front of Spike. Spike looked up at her when he felt her take his hands in hers._

_ "I'm sorry, William."_

_ "Why's that, love?" he asked her._

_ "I truly believed that in the end of every fairytale we get the one we want."_

_ Chuckling, Spike shook his head, "But that's the problem, Scarlet – we're the bad guys in the fairytales."_

_ "Do you think it's possible that she ever loved you back?" Hermione asked the vampire in a weak and feeble voice. _

_ Spike remained silent for a while. The only sounds in the room were from Reid trying to zipper up his pants. "I do," Spike suddenly said. "But I fucked it up by being me."_

_ "I don't know," Hermione smiled, "I kind of like you."_

_ "Of course you do," Spike smirked. "I've got the blonde hair, blue eyes, smirk, and attitude. I'm four for four."_

_ "I thought I raised you better than that," Faith said, pulling Hermione up and away from Spike. "It's five by five, Doll Face. Not four for four; five by five. You need to set your standards higher. Now hurry up and get dressed. I don't think Tyler's seen a girl in her underwear in a while, and he's staring at you like a piece of meat."_

_ Looking back at Spike once more, Hermione felt a little bit better when she saw that he was at least smiling now, but she still felt his pain. Accepting the skirt from Tyler, she fell down while rushing to step into it. Spike stood up now._

_ "After talking to Lil Bit, I called Cordelia. She told me that the spirit of this bird Lilah who was killed while working over at Wolfram and Hart, somehow approached Angel and offered him the company. Angel didn't want it at first, but apparently he has these new people of his who all sort of talked it over with Lorne, and they all agreed that maybe it's for the best. Angel agreed to take over the company in hopes of bringing it down from the inside."_

_ "That's good then," Tyler said, trying to button Reid's shirt for him, while Hermione searched for hers. "So Angel's still good then."_

_ Faith nodded her head, "For now. Cordelia told Spike that they have to play it by the Senior Partners' rules. And apparently their rules are getting evil creatures out of jams. Angel them find it difficult to kill their clients who have a contract, but they're still trying their hardest to save innocent people. It's harder than they thought it would be."_

_ "And my ex – who isn't exactly right in the head – is Angel's new secretary."_

_ Hermione tripped over her own feet once more. "Drusilla's working for Angel?"_

_ "No," Spike snarled, "Harmony."_

_ "Harmony?" Reid cocked an eyebrow._

_ Spike nodded his head, "A huge drunken mistake on my part. She was one of Buffy's classmates who got turned during their graduation ceremony. She used to be Cordelia's best friend until she tried to kill her a couple of times. Really into unicorns, that one. Don't know what the bloody hell I was thinking."_

_ Faith snorted, "You weren't thinking."_

_ "That's the problem."_

_ Rolling her eyes, Hermione continued trying to find her shirt. "So what happened with Lindsey? Willow told Faith something about Angel asking for her help in getting rid of him… or something like that?"_

_ "To shut him down," Faith nodded her head. "I'm sorry, Doll Face."_

_ Hermione's body shut down. She continued to stand, but her legs and arms couldn't function properly. "What? Why? What did Angel to do Lindsey?"_

_ "Lindsey's girlfriend Eve," Spike explained, "The same bird who's trying to help us out, was also taking orders from the Senior Partners. She was dating Lindsey, and helping him to hide out from everyone who was searching for him, but she was also working at Wolfram and Hart under Lindsey's orders. When the Senior Partners brought in Angel, Lindsey told Eve to try and get Angel to quit, but the Senior Partners told her to kill Angel. In the end, she tried to do both. When the Senior Partners found out where Lindsey was hiding, she warned him, and-"_

_ "Get to the point," Hermione said, not wanting to hear about this Eve person. "Just tell me what happened with Lindsey."_

_ Spike and Faith both stared at each other for a while, before Spike spoke up. "Lindsey sent us the owl explaining about the Vanishing Cabinet… last week. He left for Wolfram and Hart the next morning. Angel caught him, and they got into a sword fight. Lindsey had these rune tattoos on his body that protected him from being seen by the Senior Partners, but while he was fighting with Angel, Cordelia managed a spell that took the rune tattoos off of him. Lindsey was sucked into an alternate hell dimension."_

"Hermione?" looking up, Hermione saw Luna sitting on the floor in front of her. "Are you okay?"

"No," Hermione shook her head.

"I talked to Tyler this morning. He told me what happened with Lindsey; I'm sorry."

Wiping away her tears, Hermione kept her legs crossed. "I don't get it. I mean I thought that Angel was the good guy. He knew that Lindsey was helping me, so why would he kill him?"

"Sometimes we have to make difficult decisions," Luna told her. "It's what makes us human. Maybe there was something else to it – something that only Angel knows. What if he let Lindsey live, but someone else was going to die in his place?"

Thinking about it, Hermione stared at Luna. "Is that all there is to life? We're born, we fight a war, we have to let someone die in order to save someone else, and then we die?"

"I think so," Luna nodded her head. "But look at it this way – Lindsey's not really dead, is he?"

"What?"

"Well, Tyler told me and Ginny that Lindsey was only sucked into another dimension."

"A hell dimension, Luna."

"But it's still another dimension," Luna smiled. "He might be tortured, Hermione, I'm not going to lie about that, but he's not dead. His body is still alive. There's a chance that someone can go back into the alternate dimension and save him."

Hermione stopped crying. She stared at Luna with disbelieving eyes. "What?"

"I thought you paid attention in class," Luna giggled. "Alternate dimensions are just other worlds. Anyone can go into one and come back out. Seeing as how it's a hell dimension though, and he was once an evil lawyer, he's most likely being tortured over and over again, but he's still alive. Angel didn't really kill him – he just sort of sacrificed him."

"You're right."

"Of course I'm right," Luna giggled again. "Now, do you want to talk about why you ran out of class crying?"

Hermione sighed. "I was thinking about Lindsey, and Angel, and Draco, and then Ron was mocking me, and Lavender and Parvati was cackling, and it all sort of just got to me. It was too much stress for me to handle. I think I would've cried even if Professor McGonagall turned back into her cat form."

Waiting for a couple more minutes, Luna and Hermione both stood up. Thanking Luna for being such a good friend, and giggling about something that happened to Theo in Potions the day before, Hermione slipped on a puddle of water, and started to fall backwards. Luna caught her just in the nick of time, and was trying to pat the wet spot on Hermione's back to make it less noticeable. They were both greeted by Harry who looked like he was just about to walk into the loo to see if Hermione was in there. Holding onto his own bag in one hand, and Hermione's purse in the other, Harry sheepishly smiled at the both of them.

"Oh, hullo Harry," Luna said, immediately going back to her dreamy self. Hermione was amazed with how many sides there were to Luna, and how quickly she could just control all of them. "Did you know that one of your eyebrows is bright yellow?"

"Hi, Luna," Harry said, ignoring the remark about his eyebrow. "Hermione, you forgot your stuff-"

Accepting her purse from him, Hermione smiled. "Thanks, Harry. I should get going…"

"Reid was going to come after you," Harry said, interrupting her departure, "But I stopped him. I said that I wanted to talk to you about something anyway-" there was a slightly red tinge in Harry's cheeks, and Hermione could tell that he was leaving something out. Oh well, Reid would tell her later, "-but I just really wanted to check on you. Are you alright?"

Hermione nodded her head, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just had a bit of a rough night – I didn't get any sleep at all. And I got some bad news this morning about a friend of mine from LA."

"Oh. Is that why Reid looked a bit distracted today, as well?"

Hermione nodded her head again. "We were waiting up all night for Faith and William to return with the news of our friend," she explained; thinking that this much information wouldn't give anything away to Harry about her secret life. "They both went out into Hogsmeade to make the phone calls. They came back half an hour before the sun rose."

"Oh," it was obvious that Harry didn't know what else to say. As far as he was concerned, he and Ron were Hermione's only real friends. Then these Americans all came to Hogwarts, and he never sees her anymore, now suddenly he's hearing about more friends. He was confused, and Hermione could see it in his eyes. "Oh, right, Reid said that when I'm done checking on you, he's looking for you. He's with Ginny and Tyler in Tyler's tower. Which by the way, do you know if Ginny-"

"Oh, I gotta go," Hermione quickly said, turning to Luna, "Luna, I'll meet you at the tower. Thanks again, for bringing my things, Harry."

Still dressed in the same clothing from that morning, Hermione didn't even bother to care that some of the older boys could tell she wasn't wearing a shirt underneath her robes. At least she had a bra on. She wasn't _that _tacky after all. She was surrounded by both Tyler and Reid, while walking down the halls. Ginny and Faith were both back in the tower with Spike talking about what Luna told Hermione. Ginny was trying her hardest to remember what they learned about alternate dimensions, while Spike and Faith were both trying to figure out how long Lindsey would be able to keep his sanity before they're able to rescue him.

"So you're fine now, then?" Reid asked Hermione.

She nodded her head, "Yeah, I'm good. Now that I know we can still save Lindsey, I'm much better."

"What about that Eve chick?" Tyler asked.

"What about her?"

"Can we trust her? I mean, Lindsey isn't exactly with her anymore, now is he?"

Hermione chewed on her bottom lip while the two older boys stared at her. "Yes," she finally nodded her head. "Lindsey trusted her, and in his last letter he wrote that she was still trying to help us out."

"Yeah, but Lindsey's not-"

Hermione cut Tyler off, "Lindsey knew that he wouldn't make it out of Wolfram and Hart. He said so in his letter, that's why he made sure that we knew about his friend. I think that Lindsey knew the company was closing in on him, so he decided to do it on his own terms. That's why he put everything into that final letter. He wanted us to know about Angel owning Wolfram and Hart, he wanted us to know about his friend, and he wanted us to know about the Vanishing Cabinet. He made sure we knew everything."

"It makes sense," Reid chuckled. "That letter was kind of like his final will."

Playing with the bracelet on her wrist, Hermione traced the runes on it. "We have to save him," she told them. "He gave up everything to protect me; I can't let him rot in a hell dimension forever."

"We will," Tyler promised her. "Don't worry, Hermione. We'll get him out of there."

Looking up, Hermione saw Draco. Slowing her steps down, she saw that he wasn't even really pale anymore – he was now sort of a grey tinged color. That couldn't be healthy. Tyler and Reid both seemed to follow her gaze, and she felt Reid pause his steps as well. Draco was torn between staring at Hermione, and glaring at a large group of boys who were also staring at Hermione. Tyler was the one who wrapped an arm around Hermione's shoulder when he saw Ron and Lavender walk past them, both with their noses high up in the air. Hermione looked between Draco and Ron, and she saw them both snarling at McLaggen. Well, Draco was sneering at _both _Ron and McLaggen, but Ron didn't even think that Hermione would stoop so low as to being with a Malfoy, that he didn't even bother to notice that Draco was only a couple of feet away from him.

"Let's head over to the Great Hall, already," Reid sighed, turning away from his brother.

"What time does the party start?" Tyler asked Hermione, trying to keep a conversation going, so that she wouldn't lose her temper and hex someone just for walking too close to her.

"I'm heading down at eight," she told them. "Did you hear that Harry asked Luna?"

Tyler and Reid both started to snicker. "Is that why Theodore Nott tried to trip Harry down the stairs earlier?"

"Yes," Hermione also snickered, but her teasing mood quickly left her. "I'm the only one who doesn't have a date."

"Oh yeah," Tyler smirked; a mischievous glint in his eyes. "That's right. Gin's taking Dean."

"You should be my date," Hermione told Tyler, "You can have front row seats to when Blaise sees that."

Tyler shook his head, "I don't do Christmas parties."

"And I promised Faith that I would help her with training tonight," Reid said before Hermione could even glance at him. "Just go by yourself – it isn't that big of a deal."

"I can't go to a party on my own," Hermione shook her head. "I was hoping that Harry would get the hint and just go with me, but he's too stupid. I should've just asked him," she sighed.

Chuckling, Tyler scratched his jaw. "Well, look at all those guys who're staring at you. Just ask one of them – and I don't mean the blonde," he quickly added, spotting Draco who was still standing there.

Taking a quick look over her shoulders, Hermione frowned when she saw a seventh year Ravenclaw girl strutting her way over to Draco. Half expecting Draco to push the girl away, Hermione scowled when she saw the girl giggle as Draco put an arm around her shoulder. "Dammit," she hissed out.

Also noticing the scene with Draco and the Ravenclaw, Reid sadly shook his head. "Sure, Sweetheart, I'll go with you. Faith can just train with Spike or Tyler."

"No," Hermione growled out. "I'm taking one for the team."

"What are you doing?" Tyler asked when he saw Hermione walk towards the large group of boys that were all gawking at her.

"Cormac," Hermione said, pushing her way through the crowd of gawking boys. When Cormac McLaggen looked down at her, she reminded herself not to puke on his shoes. "I hear that you don't have a date for the Christmas party."

Smirking to all of his grinning friends, McLaggen eyed Hermione's body for a couple of seconds. "Looks like I do now, Granger. I'll pick you up at eight."

"We share the same common room, Cormac," Hermione reminded him, trying her hardest not to gag. "But fine."

Reid felt the urge to run over to Draco and beat the shit out of his little brother when he realized that Hermione was now going to the Christmas party with Cormac McLaggen, but he felt that Hermione needed comfort after what she just did. "Wh-"

"And whose team did you just take that for?" questioned Tyler who was resisting the urge to smack Hermione.

"Team Hermione," Hermione said in a harsh voice. "Now shut up and leave me alone. I don't want to talk about it."

Sitting down at dinner with Reid and Tyler, Hermione looked up and saw Ginny walking in with Faith, but she noticed that neither Spike nor Professor Snape were up at the professors' table. Looking across the Great Hall, she saw that Luna was sitting by herself like always at the Ravenclaw table, and she also saw that once again, the silver four were all missing. Regretting her decision to ask McLaggen to the dance just in spite of Draco, Hermione absentmindedly played with the stew in her bowl.

"You could've taken _anyone_!" Hermione heard Ron say in disbelief from across the table. "_Anyone!_ And you chose Loony Lovegood?"

Hermione was just about to grab her wand to hex Ron, but she saw Ginny beat her to it. "Don't call her that, Ron!" Ginny hissed out at her idiotic brother. Faith stood by Ginny's side, and debated whether or not to just stab Ron already. Somebody needed to. "I'm really glad that you're taking her, Harry," Ginny added to Harry. "She's so excited."

Saying a quick hello to Dean as Ginny sat next to him, Faith took her spot next to Hermione. Leaning across the table, she whispered to Tyler and Reid, "_She's so excited_?" Faith scoffed, "She kept asking Spike to give her a detention just so she wouldn't have to go along with it."

"Then why did she agree to go if she didn't really want to?" asked a confused Tyler.

Hermione snorted into her stew, "Because she's Luna. She can't just say no to a friend. She probably didn't want to hurt Harry's feelings."

Reid only nodded his head, then looked over at Parvati who looked awkward sitting between Lavender and Harry. "Hey, Parvati," he smiled, "I hear that you're staying at Hogwarts?"

Hermione heard Faith snickering next to her, and she raised a confused eyebrow. "Yeah," Parvati nodded her head. "My parents wanted me and my sister to go home, but I talked them out of it for the time being."

Faith was still snickering, "We ran into your sister, and she said that-"

"Oh, right," Parvati blushed, "Well, Padma also threatened me that if she had to listen to Lavender talk about… oh, hi, Hermione," she suddenly beamed.

Grinning as widely as Parvati, Hermione could tell that her roommate was feeling guilty about laughing at her expense in class earlier. "Hi, Parvati. Are you going to Slughorn's party tonight?"

Parvati shook her head. "No invite," she sighed with a hint of sadness. "I'd love to go though, it sounds like it'll be really interesting. You're going aren't you?"

Kicking Tyler underneath the table when she heard him start to laugh at her, Hermione nodded her head. "Yes, I'm going with Cormac."

Hermione heard a strange sucking sound, and she saw Ron quickly pull away from Lavender who was now pouting. "Cormac?" Parvati's jaw dropped, "Cormac McLaggen?"

"That's right," Hermione nodded her head again. In a sweet voice, she added, "The one who _almost_ became the Gryffindor Keeper."

"Wow, you really do like your Quidditch players, don't you?" asked Parvati, who was now leaning across Harry as if he weren't even there. "First Krum, then McLaggen…"

Seeing Faith mouth the name 'Draco,' Hermione kicked her underneath the table then glared at her. Turning back to Parvati, she was smiling once more, "I like _really good_ Quidditch players," Hermione corrected her.

"We'll see you later, Parvati," Faith announced, standing up, "Doll Face here's gotta get ready for the party," pulling Hermione up by her arm, Faith stopped behind Ginny, and did the same thing. "Sorry, Dean – I've got to play doll with your girlfriend."

Dean laughed, "Sure, Faith."

Luna, Ginny, and Hermione all looked as if they wanted to kill Faith. Luna argued until Faith gave in and finally allowed her to wear a set of spangled silver robes. She wasn't allowed to wear her buttercork necklace or radish earrings though, and it annoyed her. With half of her hair sitting on the top of her head, the rest of Luna's silver strands were now curled. Faith even made sure to line the girl's bright blue eyes with a thin line of black eyeliner and another thin line of silver eye shadow. Replacing her usual radish earrings were a pair of plain silver hoops. In Hermione's mind Luna was beautiful, but it was weird to see her not dressed like herself.

Because Dean was a muggle-born, he asked Ginny if she could wear a dress instead of fancy robes to the Christmas party. Faith had fun with that. Dressed in a strapless ruby dress that really seemed to accentuate her hair, Ginny scowled the entire time that Faith sung off-key while curling Ginny's hair. Her make-up consisted of black eyeliner, and a bronze colored eye shadow that covered all of her eyelid; instead of Luna's thin line. Ginny even had red lipstick on, making her lips look much plumper than it really was. And unlike Luna's silver colored ballerina flats; Ginny wore a pair of red pumps. She had tiny little gold hearts dangling in her ears.

Spike growled when he saw Hermione, while Tyler and Reid both groaned that they should have just went with her. They already didn't like McLaggen, and this only made them hate him even more. Ginny and Luna both seemed in love with Hermione's outfit at least, while Hermione thought back to her innocent LA nights. Her dress reached her thighs, while a thin strap tied around her neck; showing the people of Hogwarts that she truly does have a cleavage line. Her dress was an emerald color – Faith claimed that she wanted her girls to all wear Christmas colors; Luna was silver, Ginny was red, and Hermione would be green – and Hermione snarled as she realized what Faith was trying to do. In her ears she still wore her ruby earrings from Reid, but she put the emeralds in her bra – a place that they always stayed now – and Faith seemed to have too much fun with her makeup. Wearing black eyeliner like her friends, Hermione had a thin line of silver just like Luna's, but she also had the bronze just like Ginny. Faith said that she looked too weird with lipstick, so she decided to just gloss her lips instead. At least she had her favorite leather boots from Spike, and her hair was its now-normal flatness.

"At least you look hot," Ginny told Hermione as they both walked towards the Gryffindor common room.

"I look like an American hooker," Hermione told Ginny. "So do you. Why couldn't we dress like Luna?"

Ginny started laughing. "Luna's more upset than we are."

"But at least she got to choose her own robes," Hermione whined. "Faith chose ours directly from her closet."

"The dresses are cute," Ginny sighed. "I only wish I didn't have to waste this on Dean. You know that's why you're upset, Hermione, because you're wasting your good looks on McLaggen."

Hermione sighed, it was true. "I guess so," she reluctantly admitted. "But at least Blaise will be at the Christmas party too, and he'll be able to see you dressed like that. I'm wearing these damn colors for nothing."

"Well," Ginny sighed, stepping in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, "We're here. I told Dean to meet us outside. He said he'll let McLag – oh, hi guys!"

Turning around, Hermione felt her stew coming back up. "Hullo," she greeted both hers and Ginny's dates.

Ginny had to literally shut Dean's mouth for him while he stared at the two of them, and Hermione rolled her eyes when McLaggen continued to stare at her breasts. "Wow, Granger!" was all he managed to say.

"You-you look great, Ginny," Dean told his girlfriend.

Feigning a pleased grin, Ginny thanked him but gave Hermione a silent look for help. "Well," Hermione said, still keeping her forced grin on her face, "Let's go, shall we?"

Hermione kept nodding her head to everything that McLaggen was saying. She couldn't really understand him because he was talking all about Quidditch; every other word was some odd Quidditch term, but she made sure to keep nodding her head as if she agreed with him. Even Dean was starting to feel sorry for her, and even Ginny was getting bored with McLaggen's constant Quidditch talk – and Ginny was the type of girl who only talked about Quidditch – so she kept trying to change the subject. But no matter what either Ginny or Dean did, McLaggen still managed to bring up how good he is at the wizarding sport. Hermione felt herself constantly rolling her eyes at him. Even Draco didn't bring up Quidditch this much.

Hermione found herself taking in Slughorn's office, just to avoid McLaggen's constant Quidditch talk. Having a feeling that a spell was involved with it, Hermione noticed that Slughorn's study was larger than any other professor's office. The ceiling and walls had been draped with emerald, crimson, and gold hangings, so that it looked like as though they were all inside a vast tent. The room was crowded and stuffy and bathed in the red light cast by an ornate golden lamp dangling from the center of the ceiling in which real fairies were fluttering, each a brilliant speck of light. Loud singing accompanied by what sounded like mandolins issued from a distant corner; a haze of pipe smoke hung over several elderly warlocks deep in conversation, and a number of house-elves were negotiating their way through the forest of knees, obscured by the heavy silver of platters of food they were bearing, so that it looked like little roving tables.

"I never understood why anyone would actually _allow_ a house-elf to be at a party," McLaggen suddenly said with a huff of ignorance. "The job of a _good _house-elf is to _not _be seen. Yet, Slughorn's got them parading around here as if they're actually-"

"So," Dean said, noticing the flames taking over Hermione's eyes. He seemed to be stunned at the idea of the brutish Gryffindor forgetting who _his_ date was. Hermione created S.P.E.W after all, "I hear they have a vampire here."

Actually proud to be with Dean for once, Ginny tightened her hold on his arm. "Right – so Dean and I are going to go over there. Have fun, you two."

"Did I tell you about that one time that I was playing Quidditch at this field just down in Winchester, and a coven of vampires all came up to me," McLaggen told Hermione. "At first I was a bit nervous, right, I mean 'cause who wouldn't be nervous with a bunch of vampires approaching you, but then they said that they're all fans of Quidditch, and they asked if they could play with me. Can you believe it, Granger?" he beamed, as if proud of this so-called accomplishment, "How many people can say that they actually hang out with vampires?"

"I was actually hand-picked by a vampire during the summer before fourth year," Hermione calmly said. "He wanted me to be his little vampire bride so that I could help him rule the world. I ended up meeting Angelus, and William the Bloody, along with the seer Cordelia, the rogue slayer Faith, and the Sons of Ipswich. They helped me to kill him, and then I spent the rest of my summer with them. We even went to a demon bar where I sang karaoke and refused to get my future told."

Hermione saw the way that McLaggen stared at her, before frowning when he started to laugh. "I never figured you as the funny type, Granger," he told her. "You're pretty cool you know: you got the highest grades in all of Hogwarts, you're actually funny, and you look hot in that dress. You got any other secrets in there?"

_I'm the ex-girlfriend of the Death Eater, Draco Malfoy, and I'm wanted for dead more than Harry Potter,_ Hermione thought to herself, but thought it would be better not to tell McLaggen that. Then again, he didn't believe her summer in LA… the bloody prat. "I'm going to get something to drink," she chose to tell him instead, not liking the way his beady little eyes were trying to undress her.

Thanking one of the house-elves as they handed her a goblet filled with butterbeer, Hermione reminded herself not to get into a rant about creatures rights. She had other things to worry about without starting a protest during this party. Then again, she sighed, it would end her night with McLaggen rather quickly. Feeling some sort of reassurance for having her knife and dagger in each boot – seeing as how Faith refused to let her take her purse – Hermione tried her hardest to avoid going anywhere near her date.

"I believe your summer," turning around, Hermione saw a rather handsome man standing in front of her. He was tall, with dark shadows under his eyes. Hermione noticed a gaggle of girls who were standing fairly close to him. "My name is Sanguini," he introduced himself.

"Hermione Granger," she introduced herself. "So you're the vampire that Professor Slughorn was bragging about having here?"

The vampire chuckled, and Hermione felt shivers coursing through her spine. "I suppose. I came as a guest of Eldred Worple though. He's an old student of Slughorn's."

"Oh," Hermione began to eagerly search the party, "Is he somewhere around here? I've always wanted to meet him. He's the one who wrote the book _Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires__, _isn't he?"

Sanguini chuckled. "Yes, he's around here somewhere. Your professor was rather eager to introduce him to young Harry Potter. But tell me, Miss Granger, why would _you_ be interested in a book about being with vampires, when you yourself are also around them."

Blushing, Hermione took a sip from her goblet. "I was just getting annoyed with Cormac's constant Quidditch stories. I didn't mean to say anything."

"I highly doubt that an entire coven of vampires would go out in the daylight to play Quidditch with a mere little school boy," Sanguini scoffed. "But you Miss Granger, now I believe your story," when he sensed Hermione's nervousness, he shook his head, "Do not worry, Miss Granger; I'm not here to out your secrets to all of your professors and classmates. I'm a vampire after all, and I know about the Dark Lord recruiting all sorts of dark creatures – no, I'm not going to side with him. My girlfriend wouldn't be too happy with me if I ran around with the very things that she kills."

"Your girlfriend," Hermione asked. "You date a slayer?"

"Yes," the vampire nodded his head. "If the rumors on our side are true, and according to what you told your date, you know Angelus and William the Bloody?"

Hermione nodded her head. "I went to Angel's investigation company that summer when I was being stalked, and William is actually a professor here."

"I've heard," Sanguini assured her. "Slughorn was willing to invite William the Bloody here when he found out I would be coming, so that I would have a vampire to talk with. I told him I would prefer if he didn't, though."

"You know William?" Hermione asked. The way that Sanguini mentioned Angel and Spike in the beginning, she thought that he's only heard of them before, but now she was thinking that they were maybe friends or enemies. When the vampire nodded his head again, Hermione suddenly noted his Italian accent, and it dawned on her that 'Saniguini' is an Italian name. She quickly stepped back, "You're Buffy's new vampire boyfriend, aren't you?"

"You've heard of me?" he asked, surprised that Hermione was able to know who he was without him saying anything.

"I've heard things," Hermione nodded her head. "Faith tried calling her last night."

Sanguini frowned, "Is everything alright?"

"A friend of ours was in trouble," Hermione explained. "Faith called Buffy to see if she knew anything that could help us out. William got a hold of Dawn, and Dawn said that she hardly talks to her sister anymore, but she knows that she lives in Italy with her new vampire boyfriend."

"Ahh," he nodded his head; his frown only slightly on his face now. "Do you still need her help?"

Hermione wanted to shout out that they did; Lindsey would be saved quicker if they had Buffy on their team, but she didn't want to do that to Spike. They could do this without Buffy, just like everything else they've done before. "No," she shook her head, forcing out a polite smile, "We've figured everything out. How did you hear about me?" she suddenly asked him. "Did you hear my name from the Death Eaters?"

"No," Sanguini shook his head, then he slowly nodded it, "Well, sort of. Like I mentioned earlier, I know that dark creatures are being recruited, but I'm not siding with them because of my girlfriend. I have some friends who went to them though, and they were given your name. There were a couple of Death Eaters who were recruiting over in Italy, and Buffy came across them. There were a couple of times where Angelus and Buffy needed each other's help so they would cross sides again. Your name was mentioned a couple of times, and even William the Bloody mentioned you to Buffy, so when she came across the Death Eaters she instantly recognized your name."

"Did she kill them?"

"Of course. Buffy may have never met you, Miss Granger, but you've made an impact in the lives of her friends and the people she loves. She respects you for what you're going through; she's on a personal mission at the moment to kill anyone in Italy who knows your name."

Chuckling, Hermione made a mental note to tell both Spike and Faith about this new information. She wouldn't ask them to bring in Buffy, but she had a new respect for the slayer that she currently hated. "Tell her I said thank you; I really appreciate it."

"She's going to be highly jealous that I've met you," the vampire announced.

Left on her own once again, Hermione spotted Ginny nodding her head with whatever Dean was telling her. Blaise stormed out of the party once he saw Ginny, and Hermione felt sorry for the both of them. It was obvious that the two of them had feelings for each other, but because of Draco being such a prat, the two of them chose to ignore the other. It didn't help that Ginny had the urge to drive Blaise insane by being with Dean, nor did it help that Blaise was starting to hex Dean every chance he had. Ginny came to this party with the high hopes of showing Blaise what he was missing out on, but her hopes left once he did, and now she was just another party goer bored by her date. Hearing somebody snickering behind her, Hermione turned around and blanched. McLaggen looked like a cat that just caught a canary while pointing up at the mistletoe that Hermione was absentmindedly standing beneath. Making up a quick minded excuse that she needed to use the loo, Hermione escaped him.

She just ran between two members of the Weird Sisters when she heard someone shout out her name. "Hermione! _Hermione!_"

Turning around, she grinned with relief. "Harry! There you are, thank goodness. Hi, Luna!"

Luna waved at her, while Harry looked at her incredulously. "What happened to you?"

"Oh, I've just escaped – I mean, I've just left Cormac," Harry was still staring at her, so Hermione quickly added, "Under the mistletoe."

"Serves you right for coming with him," Harry scolded her.

Hermione wanted to argue with Harry, blaming him for this whole thing, but she only sighed instead. "Let's just go this way, we'll be able to see him coming since he's so tall."

Making their way across the room while keeping an eye out for McLaggen, and with fresh goblets of mead, Hermione cursed softly when she realized they ended up next to Professor Trelawney. "Hullo," Luna smiled politely at the professor.

"Good evening my dear," Professor Trelawney said, focusing on Luna with great difficulty. Hermione could smell cooking sherry. "I haven't seen you in my classes lately…"

"No," Luna shook her head, "I've got Firenze this year."

"Oh, of course," Hermione could hear an angry tone in the drunken professor's voice. "Or Dobbin, as I prefer to think of him. You would have thought that now I'm returned to the school Professor Dumbledore might have gotten rid of that horse, wouldn't you? But no… we share classes… it's an insult, frankly, an insult. Do you know…?"

Hermione wasn't paying much attention between the conversation of Luna and Professor Trelawney, and she could tell that Harry wasn't either. He leaned in closer to her. "Are you planning on telling Ron that you interfered at the tryouts?"

Hermione's eyebrows lifted into her hair. "Do you really think I'd stoop that low?"

Harry stared at her shrewishly. "Hermione, if you can ask out McLaggen-"

"That has nothing to do with Ron," Hermione said incredulously. "And I'm not the type of person to tell Ron what might or might not have happened at the tryouts, just because he's a git. Honestly, Harry…"

Having the decency to blush, Harry scratched his hair, "Good, because he'll just fall apart again, and we'll lose the next match for sure."

"Quidditch!" Hermione angrily huffed out. "Oh, honestly, is that all that boys care about? Cormac hasn't asked me one single question all night, no, I've just been treated to 'A Hundred Great Saves Made by Cormac McLaggen' nonstop ever since – oh, no, here he comes!"

Not bothering to say goodbye to Harry or Luna, Hermione ran away quickly. Finding Ginny standing in a corner by herself, Hermione approached her, while grabbing another goblet of mead. She found that she quite liked the bitter taste of mead just little bit better than the buttery taste of butterbeer. Holding out a second goblet for Ginny, the two friends both found a comfortable piece of wall to blend in with. One of the things that Hermione enjoyed about the group of friends that she spent all of her time with nowadays was that they could all just stay in a comfortable silence with each other instead of always having to say something. Ginny just quickly explained that Dean wasn't feeling well, so he went back up to the common room already, and Hermione quickly explained that she hated McLaggen, then they were set and they didn't have to talk anymore.

"Ahh, Miss Granger, Miss Weasley," Professor Snape approached them with his own goblet. Hermione could smell the strong hint of firewhiskey in his goblet though.

"Hullo Professor Snape," both girls replied. When they first saw him around the halls of Hogwarts after spending all of their summer holiday with them after their fourth year, it was always weird to both Hermione and Ginny, but now that they knew he was _truly_ on their side, and also in on Hermione's secret, they didn't think it was weird anymore. So having Professor Snape approach them during a Christmas party while they were both dressed like American hookers seemed like a normal thing to them.

"I'm sorry if I upset you both after our last meeting," he told them. "I understand that neither of you could sleep afterwards."

Hermione and Ginny both nodded their heads, but it was Hermione who spoke. "We know what the item is," she told him. "Lindsey wrote us another letter. It's a Vanishing Cabinet."

"It is," Professor Snape nodded his head as well, sneering at a young couple that was now snogging underneath the mistletoe. "Spike told me about that already. We were talking about it during dinner."

"That's where he was," Hermione said mostly to herself. "Professor?"

"Yes?"

"Why would Professor Dumbledore allow Draco to kill someone at Hogwarts?"

Whatever he was expecting to hear, it obviously wasn't that. Professor Snape began to sputter his firewhiskey everywhere while his goblet nearly fell out of his hands. "Who told you that?"

"How much do you know?" Hermione asked the hated professor. Looking around the party to make sure that no one could hear them, Hermione lowered her voice, "About me and my reasons for wanting to help Draco, how much do you truly know?"

Professor Snape lifted an eyebrow. "I understand that you've had a silly little school girl crush on him since you were thirteen," he told her, "I know about Mr. Garwin being his half-brother, and I know that you are the true target. Everything else that I know is what you and Spike allows me to know."

Ginny smiled into her goblet, and slowly nodded her head at Hermione, as if urging her to tell Professor Snape the truth. "Draco and I dated for six months," Hermione told the now pale faced professor. "It started in fifth year, and it ended on the first day of this school term. We had an argument the first day that William them arrived, and he told me that he has a mission and that he has to kill someone at Hogwarts. He warned me that with this person dead I wouldn't be the highest target anymore. You told us that Professor Dumbledore wants to see Draco's mission through – so I know that Professor Dumbledore is allowing Draco to kill someone. Who is it?"

Sighing, Professor Snape curled his lips into a snarl. "Bloody hell, Miss Granger, you can't tell me that you've dated my godson then ask me who I'm helping him to kill. You really are too smart for your age. This isn't the place to discuss this. We'll have another meeting soon, but I can't promise that I'll answer your question."

"Very well," Hermione nodded her head. "Oh, and professor?"

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"Can you not let on that you know about us?"

"I wasn't planning on parading it around," he informed her. "In case you haven't noticed, it's suicidal to start a relationship with a muggle-born that's wanted for dead when you're a Death Eater."

Hermione nodded her head to show that she understood, "Right."

After a couple more minutes of dodging McLaggen, Ginny and Hermione both decided to just call it a night and head up to Spike's tower already. Hermione explained that she had something that everyone should know, but she refused to tell Ginny yet. She wanted to tell everyone what Sanguini told her when they were all together. Laughing when they saw Slughorn pull Professor Snape into a conversation with him and Harry, the two friends saw Luna just standing there and listening to everything they were saying. Debating whether or not they should rescue Luna, they suddenly saw all three people look at Luna with shocked faces while she continued to stand there and explain something that neither Hermione nor Ginny could hear, but wished they could. Harry started to laugh, and his mead went into his nose while Slughorn also joyfully laughed. It was Professor Snape's expression that had the two girls laughing harder though – he looked as if he just found out that Professor McGonagall was in love with him and pregnant with a litter of kittens.

"Professor Slughorn," Filch's wheezing broke through the hypnotizing stance that Luna seemed to have the three in, and Hermione turned around to see Draco being dragged by his ear. "I discovered this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. He claims to have been invited to your party and to have been delayed in setting out. Did you issue him with an invitation?"

Ginny elbowed Hermione and whispered, "Look, Harry's got his invisibility cloak in his robes."

Glancing at the shimmering fabric that Harry was now fingering inside of his pocket, Hermione groaned, "Oh, no, we need to warn them not to say anything in front of him. He's already obsessed with Draco."

"Alright!" Draco shouted, pulling himself out of Filch's grip. "Fine, I wasn't invited. I was just trying to gate-crash. Are you happy?"

"No, I'm not!" said Filch.

Hermione saw a gleam in Filch's eyes that proved he was excited to catch a student out of bed, but she couldn't hear anything that he was saying. Draco was now staring at her, and his eyes seemed to darken. To anyone else it would look like he was furious, but Hermione knew firsthand what that look represented – lust! Draco definitely noticed her outfit, and he definitely liked it. Catching a glimpse of the familiar way that Draco's lip curled up, Hermione felt her own insides starting to curl. Draco always curled his lips like that when he didn't approve of the way that she was dressed in public. It was a look that showed he loved the way she looked, but he didn't like the fact that anyone else could see her like that. Over their six months – well three months of physically being together before the summer holidays – Hermione learned that Draco was a very possessive person, and she loved that about him.

Ginny elbowed Hermione again, and pointed at Harry once more. Hermione groaned when she saw that Harry was closely observing Draco and Professor Snape. Hermione could see the lust in Draco's eyes while the disappointment of her dress showed in his face, but she could imagine what Harry was thinking. It was obvious that Harry thought Draco was caught in the act of doing some type of Death Eater thing, and now he was annoyed by the fact that he couldn't finish what he started… Harry was just always looking for things to connect Draco to being a Death Eater.

"Do you think this is his Death Eater work?" Ginny whispered to Hermione, "Or do you think Blaise told him about how you were dressed?"

"Blaise told him," Hermione whispered back. "He was scanning the room when Filch brought him in. I believe his gate-crashing story; I can see it in his eyes."

Ginny nodded her head in approval, "Why couldn't Blaise have done something stupid like that? Stupid bloody git…"

Shaking her head at Ginny's muttering, Hermione saw Slughorn wave his hands to Draco, while saying, "It's nothing, nothing. I did know your grandfather after all…"

"What happened?" Hermione asked Ginny.

"Slughorn told Filch to leave him alone. He just told Draco he could stay."

"He always spoke very highly of you, sir," Draco quickly said. "He said you were the best potion-maker he'd ever known..."

"Dammit," Hermione hissed.

Ginny jumped from the sudden noise. "What?"

"Harry's observing Draco's features," she whispered. "He knows that Draco's up to something. Look at the way that he's staring at the dark shadows underneath his eyes."

Looking between Draco and Harry, Ginny looked back at Hermione, "But he does look like crap, Hermione. Draco looks like he was turned into a vampire. We need to hurry up and get him out as soon as possible."

"I know that," Hermione harshly whispered, "That's what we're trying to do."

"His skin isn't even pale anymore," Ginny continued pointing out as if she didn't hear Hermione say anything. "It's grey."

"I know that," Hermione hissed again. "Now shut up, I'm trying to listen."

"I'd like a word with you, Draco," Professor Snape suddenly said.

"Oh, now, Severus," Slughorn hiccupped, "It's Christmas, don't be so hard-"

"I'm his head of house, and I shall decide how hard, or otherwise to be," Professor Snape said, curtly. "Follow me, Draco."

Just as quickly as Professor Snape and Draco were gone, Harry disappeared. Ginny ran in one direction and Hermione ran in the other. They both met in the middle where Luna was still talking to Professor Trelawney about something that neither of them could understand, but Professor Trelawney seemed completely interested in whatever it was about… something about Rotfang Conspiracy…

"Luna," Hermione said, grabbing her hand, "Do you mind if we borrow Luna for a bit, Professor? I think Ginny has a nargle caught in her hair, and we don't know how to get it out."

"Oh, yes, yes, dear, of course," Professor Trelawney waved them away.

"You have nothing to worry about, Ginny," Luna told her redheaded friend who was looking at Hermione like she wanted to do nothing more than kill her, "Nargles don't really like to leave the mistletoes. If one of them jumped into your hair, it would've jumped back once you walked away."

"I don't really have a nargle in my hair, Luna," Ginny snapped at her. "Hermione's just stupid."

"Well, I had to say something to get her away from Professor Trelawney," Hermione rolled her eyes. "It was the only thing I could think of."

"Why would you need to get me away from Professor Trelawney?" Luna asked, looking between her two friends.

"Where did Harry go?" Hermione asked.

"He said something about the loo," Luna replied. Looking around the room, she sighed, "Although he has been gone a rather long time. I told him not to drink too much mead while eating those buttergilly sandwiches, the poor bloke's probably going to be in there all night."

Ginny started to snicker while Hermione just stared at Luna. "No, Luna," she shook her head. "Harry isn't in the loo with an upset stomach; he most likely followed Professor Snape and Draco out."

"But wouldn't he be – oh shoot, he has his cloak with him, doesn't he?" when Hermione and Ginny both nodded their heads, Luna sighed. "Sorry, guys. I really thought he needed the loo. They can't be too far now, can they? I say we just look for them, and make a loud ruckus while searching. Professor Snape and Draco will stop talking once they hear people."

Ginny ran down one corridor while Luna took another. Thinking that her professor and ex might both take a page out of her book, Hermione searched all the loos on the same floor as them, as well as the one above them. Fifteen minutes passed by, and when they still couldn't find anyone, the three witches all gave up and returned back to the party. Ginny and Luna both stopped in their tracks while elbowing Hermione.

"Professor," Hermione said, approaching Professor Snape to make it look less obvious than if Ginny or Luna were to approach him. This way, if someone were to see her, Hermione could just make it look like she's asking him a question about the lesson they just ended. "Please tell me that you and Draco didn't say anything crucial."

"Now is not the time to talk about it, Miss Granger – why are you pale? Are you feeling ill? I do hope you didn't eat any of the buttergilly sandwiches."

"That's not it," Hermione shook her head; now glad of the fact that she didn't eat anything while at the party. "Harry has his cloak with him, and he disappeared right after-"

"That insufferable brat," Professor Snape hissed out. "Oh, he truly is James's son," lowering his voice before he drew any attention to himself, he looked down his hook nose at Hermione, "It looks like Mr. Potter now knows for sure that the Dark Lord has given Draco a task. And he also knows about the Unbreakable Vow."

**Disclaimer: As always, I thought I'd just remind you guys that some parts are copied directly from the book, with some things changed around (although most of it is me) and I decided that in order to bring in Eve, I needed more of Wolfram and Hart in there, with Angel running things. I think I'm going to copy some more of the Angel plot now, but switch it up a bit: like Hermione them haven't met Gunn or Fred yet. They don't know about Wesley being back yet, and Cordelia isn't going to die nor is Conner going to be taken then come back as a BAMF teen. If you noticed, I already switched a lot around. I already made Spike save the world in Buffy's story, but I didn't have Angel them owning Wolfram and Hart yet. So the Angel world is completely mangled up, but I'm trying to make it comply with this story…**


	13. Christmas In London

Christmas In London

_"Professor," Hermione said, approaching Professor Snape to make it look less obvious than if Ginny or Luna were to approach him. This way, if someone were to see her, Hermione could just make it look like she's asking him a question about the lesson they just ended. "Please tell me that you and Draco didn't say anything crucial."_

_ "Now is not the time to talk about it, Miss Granger – why are you pale? Are you feeling ill? I do hope you didn't eat any of the buttergilly sandwiches."_

_ "That's not it," Hermione shook her head; now glad of the fact that she didn't eat anything while at the party. "Harry has his cloak with him, and he disappeared right after-"_

_ "That insufferable brat," Professor Snape hissed out. "Oh, he truly is James's son," lowering his voice before he drew any attention to himself, he looked down his hook nose at Hermione, "It looks like Mr. Potter now knows for sure that the Dark Lord has given Draco a task. And he also knows about the Unbreakable Vow."_

"Oi, Lehane!"

Turning around, Faith saw Draco running towards her. Glad that her slayer senses wouldn't allow her to go anywhere without her stake, she felt the frozen wood pressed between the wool of her black socks and the leather of her boots. It was nearing one in the morning and she was freezing. After making sure that her three girls were dolled up nicely for the Christmas party, Faith decided to help Professor McGonagall patrol the halls. The students seemed to prefer it when she was patrolling, seeing as how she didn't dock house points if she caught them snogging in hidden corridors. Even Peeves seemed to take a liking to her, and didn't bother with pranking her too much – but that might have something to do with knowing that she had the sources to send him to another dimension and away from Hogwarts forever… or inside an urn.

"Malfoy?" Faith questioned, raising an eyebrow at the boy who just reached her side. She noticed that he was dressed in his usual black attire. She also noticed that he looked sicker than usual. "Why are you sulking in the halls at one in the morning?"

"I'm not sulking," he retorted with a bit of a sneer. Draco couldn't believe his newest task was to recruit _this_ slayer. She was best friends with Hermione, and he would have preferred to just ignore her. "I had something I needed to do."

"Another task for your precious master?" Faith sneered back. Draco didn't reply, but Faith could see the darkness take over his face at her question. Then something else took over the boy's eyes, and Faith found herself smirking at him, "Zabini told you about how Doll Face was dressed, didn't he?"

Draco's heart began to pound excessively in his chest as he thought back to the way _his_ Hermione was dressed at the Christmas party. It was true; Blaise did run into the Slytherin common room just to inform him about the dress she was wearing, along with her makeup and those bloody boots. Once the description left Blaise's mouth, he was already running out of the dungeons and towards the Potions classroom. Continuing to stare at Faith, Draco saw that she was still smirking at him. "I wanted to know who taught her how to smirk like that," he scowled.

"I may have had a little something to do with that," Faith said, not dropping her smirk. "But it wasn't only me. A certain blonde may have had some part in it as well. Would you like me to thank him for you?"

Draco was a bit taken back by the forwardness of the slayer. Aside from the day in Hogsmeade, he didn't really talk to any of them. In classes, he was forced to acknowledge his brother, and Professor Pratt, but other than that, Draco didn't have any reasons to talk to the slayer or the other Son. At least now he knew why Hermione could be a cocky bitch at times. "Not to thank," he shook his head, "But to kill."

"Oh yes," Faith nodded her head. Her smirk dropped, but now her face was filled with amusement. "I forgot that's what you do… you kill, right?" Draco didn't say anything, so she chuckled softly, "Oh, I'm sorry. You only kill on command."

Draco's hands began to ball themselves into fists. "You don't know me."

"And you don't know me," she told him. "I'm not the same slayer who killed that human. It was a mistake when I killed him, and I sort of went through a rough patch because of it, but I won't go there again. I have too much to live for now."

"Why are you telling me that?"

"I'm not stupid," Faith scoffed, feeling slightly offended. "Why else would you be talking to me? Even you wouldn't be retarded enough to try and make Reid jealous, because _you _would also know that not only would you be hurting your brother, but you would also be hurting Doll Face. You don't want to hurt her like that do you? It's bad enough you're already trying to use Parkinson against her – you wouldn't dream of bringing me into it… now would you?"

Draco sighed. He should have known by now that they would have figured it out. They still didn't know the whole story though. They may have known that he was ordered to bring the slayer into the Death Eaters, but they don't know what would happen if he failed. "I heard you're staying here for Christmas," he chose to say instead. She was right, he didn't want to hurt Hermione by flirting with a girl that even he noticed was like a sister to her, but he didn't want to lose his mother either.

"I don't feel like going home," Faith nodded her head.

"I know how you feel," Draco sighed.

Faith watched the emotions flooding Draco's face, and she could hear his unspoken question. "She's going home. Her parents don't like her staying back at Hogwarts for the holidays anymore; they want her home so she can have a normal muggle Christmas."

Draco frowned, but inside he was actually pretty excited. "She's not going to the Burrow?"

"I'm sure even you noticed about how Weasley's been acting towards her lately," Faith scoffed. "Spike and I both agreed that sending her to an enclosed house with him wouldn't be safe. You know how short her temper's been lately. She's going home to her parents' house."

"And you?" Draco questioned. "I figured you two would have been close enough for her to invite you home with her?"

"She did, but I turned her down. Luna's dad is going on some sort of hunt for something, so she's staying back here. I didn't want her to be alone, especially since I hear Nott's staying here too, and he's still a dickwad to her. Spike is leaving with Doll Face. So's Reid and Tyler."

Draco's frown deepened, and soon his nails began to draw blood from the palm of his hands. His brother was going home with Hermione for the holidays? Why couldn't the slayer go home with her while his stupid brother stayed back? This way he could kill his brother without Hermione being around, and he wouldn't have to spend his Christmas worrying about what else Hermione will be able to compare between the two of them. "Why don't-?"

What he wanted to know though was never said, because soon they heard footsteps pounding their way towards them. Draco noticed how the slayer kept a façade of hatred towards him, and that she didn't bother with sparing his feelings, but once they heard the rapid footsteps, she was quick to jump in front of him in a protective stance. He had a flash of hope that if it came to it, the slayer would jump between him and the other Death Eaters, but he knew not to expect that much – she wouldn't care about his safety once it came to an actual battle.

"Faith!" they both heard Hermione's fear in her raspy screech.

Lowering her stance when she realized that Draco wasn't in any danger, Faith saw Hermione, Luna, and Ginny all running towards them. She frowned. "Doll Face, what's going on?"

"Harry-," Hermione started to say, but quickly stopped when she saw Draco. "Malfoy?"

Also stopping, Ginny and Luna looked between Draco and Faith. "Did something happen?" Ginny quickly asked.

"I was patrolling tonight," Faith shook her head. "We ran into each other, and decided to have a nice little chat," ignoring Draco's snort, Faith continued, "What about Harry? Was he attacked?"

"Erm…" looking between Faith and Draco, Hermione didn't know what to say. After Professor Snape informed them that Harry now knew about the Unbreakable Vow, they quickly ran out of the party. They were heading for Spike's tower so they could let everyone know what happened.

Seeming to sense Hermione's internal debate about whether or not she should mention everything in front of Draco, Ginny rolled her eyes. Reaching her hand out, she grabbed onto Faith's and she started to run. "We'll explain it once we find everyone else."

For once Luna didn't seem to know what to say, so she started to run after her friends without saying anything. Hermione squirmed when she saw that she was alone with Draco. Scratching the back of her neck, she stared at the floor. "Erm…"

It was an awkward silence that neither of them had encountered before. Before, when they would be alone, it was always filled with hatred and bullying. Then they started to date in secret, and solitary moments were always filled with heated passion and love. Now… they both seemed to remember both pasts, and they couldn't find the words to say anymore: Draco was staring at Hermione and fighting the urge to pin her against the wall, while Hermione tried her hardest to not to stare him in the eyes. There was nobody around and they didn't have to fight to keep up pretenses, and they were too tired to fight just to protect their own hearts. The air grew thick with the tension, yet neither teen wanted to walk away.

"I'm sorry I ruined your date with McCormick," Draco said bitterly, breaking the silence.

"McLaggen," Hermione corrected him, "His name is McLaggen."

"Right…" Draco watched as Hermione started chewing on her lower lip, and he felt his emotions starting up again. "You look beautiful, Hermione."

Taking in a deep breath, Hermione finally looked up. The same darkened expression was in Draco's eyes, and she took a step towards him. Many nights were spent in these very corridors, watching those darkened eyes before her back was being supported by a wall while her legs were wrapped around that waist. Following a motion that she knew in her sleep, Hermione stopped walking only when her breasts were pressed against his hardened chest. "Thank you, Draco."

Draco's breath hitched when he heard her whisper his name. Lifting his fingers until they were gracefully brushing along Hermione's arms, he leaned his head forward. "Where'd you get that dress from? I've never seen it before."

Shivering at the breath warming her chilled skin, Hermione fought to keep her eyes open, "Faith."

"Remind me to thank her for this as well then," Draco smirked.

She wished she could say that she lost all her inhibitions once his lips reached hers, and she wishes that she lost all her senses, but it didn't happen. Like always, Hermione had to be logical and thinking straight. Once Draco pressed his lips to hers, Hermione only had enough time to savor the firewhiskey taste on his lips, before she quickly pulled away. "Harry," she gasped, remembering why they were running for the tower. "Draco, you need to go back to your room," Hermione warned him. "Harry has his cloak with him; he's walking around the halls wearing his cloak. We can't be caught."

Not noticing the pained expression when she mentioned Harry, or the slight way that Draco's lips curled when she warned him about Harry wearing his cloak tonight, Hermione turned and ran. Scared of looking back at the boy she left standing alone in the corridors, Hermione didn't stop running until she reached the tower she wanted.

"Wow, Hermione," Tyler grinned, shoveling forkfuls of the French toast into his mouth as if he'd never eaten in his life, "These are really good. I love how you put the powdered sugar on it."

"And the real strawberries," Reid grinned in agreement.

Blushing, Hermione didn't bother touching her own plate. "Thanks."

Standing against the counter, Spike held the mug of warmed blood in his hands, "You feeling okay, Scarlet?"

"Mhmm," she nodded her head. "Sorry, I'm just a bit tired is all."

"Faith mentioned that you didn't sleep at all after we were done talking," Reid frowned. "What happened after they ditched you?"

"Nothing," Hermione quickly lied, feeling her cheeks burning with the reminder of the practical kiss she and Draco shared the night before.

"Does nothing have to do with you switching your earrings back to the emeralds?"

It was as if her blush was a permanent feature. "No," Hermione lied again, "I figured that it would be safe to wear them while we're out of Hogwarts."

"It is," Reid assured her, scowling at Tyler. "When did you switch them?"

"On the train to Kings Cross."

Noticing that Hermione didn't want to stay focused on the subject of her earrings, Spike cleared his throat, "So, Scarlet, when are your parents coming back?"

"Two days before we return to Hogwarts."

"And they're completely fine with the three of us staying here with you while they go to another country?"

Hermione nodded her head. "Once I explained to them that neither of you could go back to America for Christmas because the floo channels weren't working and the flights were too expensive, they both quickly agreed that you all belonged with me," seeing the disbelieving look in Spike's face, Hermione smiled, "Really, I'm fine. And so are they. My parents always preferred me coming home here for the holidays anyway, and they feel better that you're all at a nice and normal home with me, instead of being alone at Hogwarts."

"I was sort of looking forward to Christmas at Hogwarts," Tyler sighed. Looking up from his nearly empty plate, he saw the glares coming his way from Reid and Spike, so he quickly shook his head, "But I love being here," he added to Hermione. "Thanks for bringing us home with you."

Hermione sighed, "I would've rather stayed at Hogwarts too," she assured him. "At least that way, I would've been able to keep an eye on Draco."

"Have you spoken to Severus since last night?" Spike asked Hermione, noticing the way her pinks tinged a slight purple color at the mention of Draco.

After being assured by Professor Snape that Harry knew about the Unbreakable Vow to aide Draco in his task; Hermione, Ginny, and Luna all ran as quick as they could back to the towers that Spike them slept in. They didn't bother to wait for Harry to return, they just needed to talk to everyone else about what just happened. Hermione didn't know how much longer she would be able to keep everything a secret from Harry, especially if Draco and Professor Snape were both stupid enough to go around talking about things in hidden corridors – didn't they both know how hated they were by Harry, and how extremely nosy he was? Of course there was the slight interruption with Draco, but once she returned to the tower, Hermione went into a rushed description about everything that happened at the Christmas party, and she was shocked to see that Spike didn't react rudely when she mentioned Buffy's boyfriend, or how Buffy seemed to be killing off the Death Eaters in Italy. Everyone wanted to know about why she took nearly five minutes to return to them, but she quickly lied and said that she ran into Filch – she didn't want them to know what happened; feeling that they wouldn't approve.

It took only half an hour for everything to be explained, and Faith told them all about her conversation with Draco as well, so everyone went to sleep by at least three in the morning. Everyone except for Hermione, that is. By the time Hermione and Ginny returned to the Gryffindor towers to grab their belongings for their return home, they were both so sluggish and tired that they barely noticed Harry waving them over to him and Ron. Glad that they managed to shower and change in Spike's tower, neither of them had to explain why they were wearing the same clothes from the night before. With her trunk in her hand, and her wand in the other, Hermione nodded her head at Harry while he quickly wished her a happy Christmas and said that he had to talk to her about something once they returned. She was tired from not sleeping the night before, and her mind was still stuck on Draco. She hated herself for stopping the kiss before it could escalate into something more.

"No," Hermione shook her head. "I think he has Death Eater duties to tend to over the holidays. Voldemort probably wants to know what's been going on with Professor Dumbledore since the summer."

Taking another sip from his mug, Spike grinned at the rich taste of the blood. He owed the house-elves of Hogwarts for ensuring he had an endless supply of goat blood during his stay at the Grangers' house, especially when the goat was mixed in with pig blood. "Did you talk to Ginny before she left with Harry?"

"No," Hermione shook her head again. "It looked like they were running a bit late for the floo to take them to the Burrow. Once Harry was done wishing me a happy Christmas, Ron grabbed her hand and they ran off. I know she wanted to stay with us though."

"And Ron's still being an ass?" Tyler asked. When Hermione nodded her head, he shook his head. "I heard Faith calling him Weasley."

"She doesn't feel like he deserves to be acknowledged as a person," Hermione nodded her head again. There was a slight chuckle in her voice.

Also laughing, Reid stood up from the table. Walking to the stove, he grabbed the last French toast out of the frying pan. "Ron's lucky that's all she's doing then. The last time Faith hated someone as a person she tied him to a chair and tortured him with fire, ice, something sharp, and something blunt."

"That's when she was still crazy though," Spike reminded all of them, before smirking. "And none of us liked Wes as a person – bit of a ponce if you ask me."

Rolling her eyes, Hermione shuddered as she remembered the stories about Faith before Angel managed to help persuade her to become a better person. Standing up, Hermione pushed her plate towards Tyler, who ate it without hesitation, "I'm going to go upstairs and take a nap before Remus comes over. You all know where your rooms are right?"

They all nodded their heads. Reid and Tyler would share the guest room, and Spike would sleep on the couch. "What time is he coming over, Sweetheart?"

"I don't know," Hermione admitted with a shrug of her shoulders. "When I received his owl this morning, he just said that he would stop by sometime today."

After another quick shower, Hermione ignored her trunk in the corner of her room and walked over to her dresser. When she walked out of the loo, she peeked over the rail from her stairs and saw the two Sons and vampire all sitting in her kitchen still. Professor Snape managed to give Spike a potion that would enable his safety from Kings Cross station to her house, and another potion that would do the same for the trip back to Hogwarts, but now that the spell was worn off, her house was blanketed in darkness. Dropping her towel to the floor, Hermione quickly slipped on a pair of blue knickers with the matching bra, and a pair of grey sweats with a giant black hoodie over a white tank top.

Not bothering with her hair, Hermione wrapped herself in her giant green comforter and laid down on her bed. Lying down on her side with her back to the door, she stared at the dark green curtains covering her window. From as long as she could remember, her favorite color had always been green. When she first discovered she was a witch, Professor McGonagall was the one who delivered her letter and she told Hermione all about the houses. Hermione wanted to be put into Slytherin only because of the house colors, but then after more thinking, she decided she would rather be put into Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. Now that she knew what type of house Slytherin really was, she was glad she didn't get her original wish. Continuing to think about Slytherin while she stared at her dark green curtains, Hermione's eyes slowly started to close.

Hermione woke up to someone gently shaking her. Opening her eyes, she saw the dark brown eyes of Remus Lupin staring down at her. His shaggy brown hair fell into those very dark brown eyes, and the faint lines of age surrounded his lips. "Remus!" she shouted, jumping up and wrapping her arms around his neck. "When did you get here?"

"Just now," he smiled. "Well, a couple of minutes ago. I was introducing myself to your friends downstairs. I thought Miss Lehane would have been here with you guys?"

"She stayed back at Hogwarts with Luna," Hermione shook her head, yawning. "She doesn't trust Luna being alone around Theo."

Remus smiled again, "That's very kind of her. Come on down, Hermione. We can go over everything during dinner."

"Dinner?"

"You slept all day," he nodded his head. "I didn't mean to take so long, but I had a meeting with Kingsley and Arthur. The Ministry's been quite busy with all the arrests lately. Now, c'mon, Mr. Garwin ended up cooking for all of us."

Remus and Spike were both sitting at the ends of the table while Hermione sat next to Tyler, and Reid sat by himself across from them. In the middle of the table was a plate filled with hotdogs, and a bowl filled with buns. There were two bags of crisps opened up for them, and bottles of condiments next to them. Spike was content with his large sized cup of goat blood mixed with pig, and Hermione poured herself a glass of soda from the bottle in front of her.

"Did you talk to Harry yet?" Hermione asked, breaking into the silence.

Drowning his hotdog in mustard, Remus shook his head. "I haven't spoken to anyone really, because everyone's been so busy with the Death Eater activities. I finally managed to speak with Kingsley and Arthur today, though."

"That's what you said upstairs. Is everything alright?"

"No," Remus sighed. "You know how incompetent the Ministry is. They're arresting anyone that they think could be a possible Death Eater, instead of focusing on the actual Death Eaters. Arthur told me that he hardly goes home anymore, and Kingsley said the same thing."

Remembering something that the girls all told him, Tyler scrunched up his face, "Do they still have that bus driver guy with them?"

"Stan Shunpike?" Hermione asked, looking at Tyler. "You mean the conductor for the Knight Bus?"

Tyler nodded his head, "I remember you, Gin, and Luna all showed me that paper," he looked back up at the werewolf. It was hard to imagine this was the professor who chased Hermione through the Forbidden forest only two weeks before she met all of them in LA. "He's one of the fake ones right?"

"Right," Remus said. "Albus and Kingsley's both tried talking to Scrimgeour about releasing Stan… it's only obvious to anyone whose actually spoken with him that he's as dangerous as a Flobberworm… but he's just trying to show face right now. The people feel safer if the Ministry looks like they're doing something useful."

"So they arrest innocent people and keep 'em locked up in Azkaban until they catch the real criminal?" Spike asked, looking appalled at the idea.

"Welcome to wizarding London," Remus snorted. Shaking his head as he started to drown his second hotdog with more mustard, he looked up at Hermione. "Why'd you want to know if I spoke with Harry yet? Did something happen?"

Hermione quickly jumped into explaining everything that Professor Snape told them about Professor Dumbledore wanting him to help Draco with whatever his task was. She told him how Luna seemed to know that Professor Snape made an Unbreakable Vow to help Draco with his task, and she also told him everything that Harry overheard between Draco and Professor Snape. Remus was a good audience member, nodding his head as he listened, and growling when Hermione mentioned how she figured out that the task is to kill someone, and her three boys all nodded their heads as she spoke, and put in their own statements when the time was right. Remus stayed quiet until the end.

"So Harry now knows that Severus is definitely helping Draco with something?" Hermione nodded her head. "That isn't good. He's already trying his hardest to prove that Severus isn't really on our side."

"I trust Severus," Spike announced. When Tyler gawked at him, he shrugged his shoulders. "I've spent over a century being evil, so I tend to know those sorts of things. Sure, I don't like Severus – he's an even bigger ponce than Angel and Wes put together – but he's not evil. I trust the guy."

Remus nodded his head, "It took a while for me to trust Severus as well, but I've known him since we were eleven, and I know he's really on our side."

"But Harry is Harry," Hermione sighed. She didn't blame her best friend for not trusting Professor Snape, but even when all the evidence pointed to him being on their side, Harry would go out and still try to prove him guilty. "He won't believe Professor Snape's innocent until he dies fighting for the light."

"Which may be exactly what happens," Reid pointed out, "Severus is risking his life by being a double agent."

"But Harry refuses to see it that way," Tyler also pointed out, with a frown, "Which we've come to learn already. We aren't here to prove Severus's innocence to Harry, but we need to figure out a way to stop Harry from finding out anything else. He could put us all into more danger."

Hermione nodded her head, "I agree. Remus, when are you going to see him?"

"Christmas Eve. I promised Molly that I'd stop by the Burrow for dinner. Are you going?" when Hermione shook her head, he cocked an eyebrow. "This is a first. Why aren't you going to the Burrow? Everyone knows that William the Bloody, two of the Sons, and the rogue slayer are all fighting with the Order, so it's not like they can't go there as well."

"Ron and I aren't exactly on speaking terms," Hermione informed him.

Feeling like a child, Remus rolled his eyes, "Again? What did he do this time?"

"What didn't he do?" scoffed Reid.

Realizing that Hermione didn't want to get into it again about how much she hated Ron, Spike cleared his throat. "So, Remus, have you and Severus been on better terms since you found out he's in on Scarlet's secret?"

Already knowing how almost everyone had a name for Hermione, Remus didn't bother asking who the vampire was talking about. He nodded his head, shook it, nodded it again, and then sighed. "Somewhat. We don't argue as much as before, and that's also what sort of helped me to realize that he really was on our side. If he was truly a Death Eater, he could have handed Hermione over years ago, and none of the Order would have suspected anything. He's trying to protect her as much as we are. I only wish that he told Sirius and I that he knew when he first overheard us talking about it."

"He didn't want to get involved in it," Spike shook his head. "He mentioned that after Sirius's death he was going to approach you about it, so you wouldn't have to help us on your own, but he wasn't sure how you would react. When we contacted Albus to see if we could come to Hogwarts, Severus decided to wait until we arrived so that he could approach us."

A pained expression took over Remus's face when Spike brought up Sirius's death, but he shook his head. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about that. "That's true," he admitted, "I would have hexed him or tried to kill him if he approached me so quickly after the Ministry battle – I wouldn't have trusted him at all, or as quickly as I did when Hermione owled me about Severus's involvement. So, did you guys find out anything else from your lawyer friend?"

Noticing Hermione's sudden pause, and the way she dropped her half eaten hotdog back onto her plate, Reid quickly explained Lindsey's predicament to Remus, who immediately apologized to Hermione. The only person that he really kept in contact with since the Americans came to Hogwarts had been Severus, but even then they hardly spoke with each other. The last time he received a letter from Severus was when they were trying to find out the names of the other Death Eaters. Tyler took over the explanation for Reid, and soon enough Remus was filled in on everything – even the problem between Ron and Hermione.

"How's your task going?" Hermione asked suddenly, looking into the eyes of her favorite ex-professor. "Did you find anything out from the other werewolves?"

"They don't like me," Remus sighed. "The werewolves all live in packs, and they try to cut themselves off from humanity, only surfacing to kill. They know that I've tried to shun my werewolf side and live as a wizard, so they don't trust me. It makes it even harder with Greyback there."

This time it was Spike who dropped his cup. Not bothering to thank Remus who cleaned up the mess with his wand, he only stared blankly at the werewolf. "William?" Hermione tried to gain his attention. "William? William… William… William!"

"I take it you know of him then?" Remus questioned.

Spike nodded his head. "Fenrir Greyback?" he snarled. "He works for Voldemort?"

"Yes, he's actually the one who's recruiting for Voldemort."

"Greyback?" Tyler asked. Looking around the table, he saw that Hermione was just as confused as he was. Reid, however… Reid looked as pale as both the vampire and werewolf. Reid looked as if he were going to be sick. Reid looked frozen in fear. "Reid, what is it?"

"Isn't he the werewolf that turns kids?" Hermione finally asked after a long moment of silence. Her answer was confirmed by the fear in Reid's eyes, the hatred in Spike's, and the flashback in Remus's. She gasped. "Was he the one who turned you, Remus?"

Seeing that Hermione's question managed to shock Reid out of his state of fear, and have Spike looking at him with some sort of new awe, Remus nodded his head. "Yes. My father had offended him. I did not know, for a very long time, the identity of the werewolf who had attacked me; I even felt pity for him, thinking that he had had no control, knowing by then how it felt to transform. But Greyback is not like that. At the full moon, he positions himself close to victims, ensuring that he is near enough to strike. He plans it all. And this is the man Voldemort is using to marshal the werewolves. I cannot pretend that my particular brand of reasoned argument is making much headway against Greyback's insistence that we werewolves deserve blood, that we ought to revenge ourselves on normal people."

"That's twisted!" Tyler said in disgust. "You guys are all normal. So what if you have a temper tantrum every month? Chicks do too."

Looking at Tyler like she wanted to hit him over the head with a frying pan, Hermione dryly said, "Thanks Ty."

Remus chuckled. "Thanks, but that's the way it is. The werewolves hate the humans because they don't have to suffer like we do. And Greyback feeds off that."

"It's true," Spike nodded his head. "I had a bit of a run in with him before I moved to the states with Dru. It was the week before we ended up in Sunnydale, actually. He's a twisted fuck; not right in the head. If he's fighting in this war, then we're going to need as much backup as we can get."

Still pale, Reid also nodded his head. "I remember him when we were younger. We need to get my brother out of there. We can't let him work with Greyback! We need to save Draco!"

"We will," Remus assured him. He could see his own mirrored reflection in the boy's eyes, and he pitied whatever memory Reid was living through. "We'll get Draco out as soon as we can."

Running his hands through his hair, Spike shook his head. "According to the vampire that you talked to last night, Scarlet, you said that he mentioned Buffy's killing off the Death Eaters in Italy?" Hermione nodded her head, and he copied her action. "I'll owl her to see if she can kill the werewolves too then. Maybe she can help us lessen the numbers before Voldemort can get to them."

"That will help," Remus nodded his head. He didn't agree with killing all the werewolves, but he knew that once they were propositioned by Greyback, they would either join the Death Eaters or be killed anyway. This was their safest option.

"And I'll try to get ahold of Oz," Spike added.

Hermione smiled when she heard that name. She's never met Oz before, but she always heard about him. He sounded like a cute little American werewolf version of Seamus. "Do you think he would help us out?"

"I don't know," Spike admitted, "But it's worth a shot. The last time I talked to him I was still evil, but I heard that he learned how to control his transformations. If we can get him on our side, then he might be able to talk some of the wolves out of it."

"I've heard of those types before," Remus said. Slight bitterness and jealousy could be heard in his voice. "They live in the woods, and focus all their energy into the transformations. Once they learn to master it, they can change at will and not change during a full moon. I heard they can even keep their minds intact."

Spike nodded his head. "He used to hang out with Buffy's group. He was turned when he was still in school, but he didn't realize what he was until he went to Buffy for help. He dated Willow for a bit."

"The lesbian witch?" Tyler asked, jerking his head in Spike's direction.

"She wasn't always a lesbian," Spike smirked. Turning back to Remus, he continued, "He left Willow to learn to control himself, and when he came back he had it mastered, but she was already with another bird at that time. Oz left again, but I heard that he still helps out once in a while if they need him."

"If he would be willing to help out, it would do us a lot of good," Remus admitted. "A werewolf who can control himself is much stronger than Greyback. I think a lot of the recruits would be more afraid of turning your friend down than the Death Eaters."

"I'll write to him tonight then."

No one was eating anymore, but they still sat at the table. Spike and Remus were both the adults who talked more about the business stuff, while the three younger ones all rolled their eyes. Now that they had a set plan – asking Buffy to kill werewolves, writing to Oz for his help, and having Remus convince Harry that Professor Snape isn't evil – they weren't too worried. They were still worried, and they still had their own dark thoughts taking over their minds, but for tonight they would just ignore it. Laughing about something that happened during Herbology the day before, the three teens all turned when they saw Remus shaking Spike's hand.

"I'll try to convince Harry that Severus was only pretending to help Draco so that he could figure out the task," Remus said, standing up.

Nodding her head, Hermione also stood up. "And I'll owl you when we get back to Hogwarts. After our somewhat meeting with Professor Snape he said that he might tell us who Draco was ordered to kill."

"It can't be a student," Remus whispered to her. "I know that Albus doesn't hold much credibility in your eyes since you learned that he hides so much truth from Harry, but I trust in my heart that he would never allow a student to be killed."

"But he's still allowing _someone _to be killed."

Sighing, Remus stared down at Hermione and she still looked like the same thirteen year old who was always thirsty for knowledge. Hermione wasn't the type of girl who was okay with not knowing an answer – she was the type of girl who didn't sleep until she solved the puzzle. Remus knew that it was stressful on Hermione to solve this case without Harry or Ron by her side, and to also lie to Harry and try to get him off of Draco's back. Pulling the tired girl into his arms, Remus whispered into her ear, "Don't worry, Hermione. We'll figure this out. We won't allow Draco to kill anyone, and we'll get him away from the other Death Eaters."

"Thanks," Hermione smiled, tightly holding him back. Over the years of sharing a secret with only Remus and Sirius, the two of them had become fathers in her life – fathers that she ran to when she was scared, fathers that she called when she had a question, and fathers that she wanted to make proud. They became just as close to her as Spike did; maybe even closer seeing as how she actually saw them in person over the years, and she lived with them during the summers. "Will you come on Christmas?"

"Of course," Remus smiled.

It was a weird Christmas but, at the same time, Hermione couldn't remember a time when Christmas had been more enjoyable than this one. Growing up, this very same house was always covered in lights from the outside, and had a medium sized tree covered in the same decorations from as long as Hermione could remember. The house would always smell like turkey, and her parents would have friends over from the dentist office they worked in. When she was eight, however, the Grangers started a tradition that they would always go someplace else for Christmas and New Year's Day. Then Hermione grew up and started spending Christmas at Hogwarts, the Burrow, or even at Grimmauld Place. She missed Christmas at Hogwarts, and the Burrow, and she definitely missed Christmas at Grimmauld Place, but this, by far, had to have been her most enjoyable Christmas.

The morning after Remus left them; Reid and Tyler ventured out into the mountains on their own, and came back with a tree that was so huge, it scraped the ceiling. Spike grumbled to all of them while he sawed off the top of the tree, and Hermione squealed in delight when Tyler placed her on top of his shoulders so she could stab the tree topper into it. Where one would normally place an angel or a star _onto_ the top of the tree, they had to literally stab something _into_ it, because Spike made the top part flat. Spike rebuked the idea of having an angel on the tree because he was a vampire and angels apparently give vampires the creeps, plus he didn't like the irony of the name. Reid refused to have a star on the top of the tree because something about how he never really understood the concept of a star sitting on a tree, and Tyler didn't very much care for the idea of Christmas wreaths. After an hour of arguing, they all seemed to enjoy Hermione's idea. She disappeared inside of her bedroom for a while then returned with a white colored teddy bear. Using Reid's wand, because she was still underage, Hermione turned the teddy bear a golden color and made its big blue eyes, a soft red color. After decorating the bear in Gryffindor robes, a scarf, and beanie, Hermione stuck a knife into the bottom of it and then stuck it into the tree.

Even Spike couldn't deny how much fun it was when it came to painting the tree white with flock, and decorating it with strings of red lights and baubles the color of gold. To make their tree diverse, Tyler even added silver strands of garland in it, and Reid had a huge grin on his face when hanging candy canes on a couple of the branches. Spike scowled as the three others took the string lights to hang up outside on the roof, but when night fell, he added in some of his own decorations. Everyone woke up the next morning to see a giant snowman with fangs wearing a Slytherin colored scarf on the front lawn.

By the time that Christmas morning actually arrived, Hermione was already looking forward to next year. It was weird because she wasn't with her parents or Harry them, but at the same time she was still surrounded by people she loved like her own blood. Opening the package that she knew was from Mrs. Weasley, as soon as she woke up, Hermione grinned when she saw an infamous Weasley jumper. This year, Mrs. Weasley made it a silver color with golden hearts sewn into it. Ignoring the rest of the presents at the foot of her bed, Hermione ran to her dresser and pulled out a pair of candy red leggings. This was, by far, her favorite jumper from the Weasley matriarch, yet. Making sure to grab a shirt to put on underneath the jumper, Hermione ran to the loo to change.

Dressed warmly in her leggings and jumper, which she was pleased to see fell just above her knees, Hermione slipped on a warm pair of lightly tanned fur boots, and tied her hair into a high ponytail with a red and silver ribbon. After making sure she had on her eyeliner, and her emerald earrings, Hermione finally left her room. Not bothering to knock on the door, she opened the guest bedroom door, and smirked when she saw Tyler lying half on top of Reid. "HAPPY CHRISTMAS!" Hermione shouted, jumping onto the bed and standing above them.

"Bloody hell!" Reid shouted, falling to the floor while Tyler jumped up in fright.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Tyler groaned, rubbing his ears.

Hermione continued to jump up and down on the bed. "It's Christmas," she laughed. "Wake up! Wake up, we've got presents!"

"Presents!" both boys shouted and ran out of the room ignoring the fact that they were only in a pair of boxers and nothing more.

Dropping onto her bottom, Hermione examined her Christmas painted nails and shook her head when she saw the two boys run back into the room, shivering and screaming from the cold. "Just because you've charmed the bedroom to be warm, doesn't mean the rest of the house isn't freezing. It _is_ snowing outside, after all," Hermione reminded Reid in a bored tone. "Now hurry up and get dressed, I'm going to make breakfast and wake up William! Then we can open our presents."

Greeting Spike, who was already up when she walked downstairs, Hermione started to pull out the ingredients to make chocolate chip pancakes, eggs, and kippers. This was the first Christmas that everything would be left to her to cook, and she found herself relaxing with that thought. At Hogwarts, the house-elves were the ones who always cooked everything, and at the Burrow or Grimmauld Place, it was always Mrs. Weasley who did the cooking. Even the Christmas's spent at home or spent at a resort, always had someone else doing everything. Hermione knew that Spike couldn't cook because he was a vampire, and Reid's way of cooking was by boiling hotdogs, or throwing everything onto a grill. Tyler only knew how to microwave food, and yet all of them wanted a homemade meal for Christmas.

After eating all their food, and finishing their hot chocolates, the three younger ones all ran into the living room with enthusiasm while Spike shook his head. He wouldn't admit it, but he was just as eager as they were to open everything up. Being an evil vampire meant that he didn't really get presents during the holidays, but since he met Hermione, she made sure to buy him something every year. Even the Sons, and eventually everyone else, started to buy him things. He was eager to see what he got this year.

Waving his wand towards the radio so that Christmas music played in the background, Reid turned to Hermione. "Can we open them now?"

Looking around at the slightly large amount of presents underneath the tree, Hermione nodded her head. "Go!"

Aside from the jumper, Hermione also received a tub of fudge from Mrs. Weasley, and she noticed that both and Tyler got fudge from her as well, which made Hermione smile. Mrs. Weasley had never met them before but she knew that how close they were to Hermione, and she made sure to remember them. Mrs. Weasley even made sure to make blood cookies for Spike, who was already eating them with a grin on his face. The twins gave Hermione a box filled with their famous Patented Daydream Charms, love scented lotions, a Punching Telescope that caused Hermione to wince as she remembered that horrid summer day, and what seemed to be a new product they were working on – a quill that changed its ink color depending on how you felt. It reminded Hermione of a muggle mood ring. Harry gave Hermione a book on charms, Ginny and Luna both seemed to share a gift and gave Hermione a large box filled with Witchline makeup, which lasted for twelve hours and didn't fade or smear no matter what you did to it, until the twelve hours were up or you were replacing it with new makeup. Faith got her a jewelry box, with a note that explained no one could open it up except for her. There was a book on defending yourself from Spike, a journal that didn't open without a personalized password and a box of sugar quills from Tyler, and a golden pinky ring from Reid. Hermione nearly knocked Reid over with a hug when she noticed there were emeralds and rubies embedded into the ring – he claimed that now she could wear her Slytherin pride without being caught, because he gave it to her. And that it's meant for her pinky because it's sort of like a pinky promise that he'll always be there for her.

Reid, Tyler, and Spike weren't all that surprised to find that they were given presents from Ginny or Luna, because the two girls became immensely close to them, but they were shocked to find that they were given things from Mrs. Weasley, Harry, and even Ron. Ron didn't even give anything to Hermione – not that she cared. Hermione was too busy fawning over the five inch high, silver pair of spike Mary Janes that Kate and Sarah both sent to her. It seemed like Caleb and Pogue knew what their girlfriends were sending and they both decided to also send a joint gift – a deep violet colored trench coat that seemed to hug Hermione's curves and tied at her waist. There was a book on Latin witchcraft from Cordelia and Angel that they seemed to get from Wolfram and Hart, and a hairbrush set from Connor. Lorne even got Hermione a present – a CD with depressing love songs that he himself sang.

Tyler and Reid instantly started to play with the wizarding chessboard that Harry sent to them. They used Tyler's board, but Reid used his own pieces. Spike watched the telly and ate his blood cookies from Mrs. Weasley. The honey ham, and turkey were roasting in the oven with the potatoes, sausages, and bacon, while Hermione started on the minced pies and Christmas pudding. She had Lorne's CD playing while she was cooking, and she reminded herself to kill him for sending this to her – that bloody sappy-green colored-red horned-beast! Reid hasn't eaten a British Christmas meal since Dobby hid him away from the Malfoys, and Tyler's never eaten a British Christmas meal at all, so Hermione was trying her hardest to do her best.

Lunch consisted of nothing more than simple sandwiches and cups of hot chocolate. Hermione claimed she didn't want them to overeat before she presented them with the dinner. There was still so much more she had to make. Remus owled her earlier that day that he would arrive for dinner, because Mrs. Weasley wouldn't let him not show up for lunch. He promised that he would come straight from the Burrow though.

Hearing a tapping noise coming from the window, Hermione looked up and saw an owl. This owl was black with eyes as red as her leggings, and it was large like a raven. Warily approaching the window, Hermione slowly opened it up and grabbed the carefully wrapped box from it. Once the box was in her hands, Hermione opened it.

_This doesn't belong in my dresser; it belongs on your neck._

_ Happy Christmas!_

Hermione gasped when she saw what it was. "What is it?"

Looking up from the box, Hermione saw that Spike was standing right in front of her. Reid and Tyler were both behind him. "The necklace," she said. Lifting the necklace for them to all see it, she smiled softly, "The necklace that Draco sent to me on our anniversary."

"The necklace you gave to Pansy?" Tyler asked.

When Hermione nodded her head, Reid stepped forward. "Here, Sweetheart, I'll put it on for you."

"Thanks," turning her back to Reid, Hermione pulled her hair out of the way, and touched her free hand to her lips. Why didn't Draco mention it? Why didn't he mention anything about the kiss they shared briefly the night of the Christmas party? Hearing Reid clear his throat, Hermione looked up and stared into Reid's confused eyes.

"You okay?" he asked her.

"Mhmm," forcing on a smile that she prayed would be able to fool all of them, Hermione started to push them out of the kitchen. "Now, out! I've got to finish cooking before tonight. There's much to do. Out, out!"

Sighing when she was left alone again, Hermione tried to clear out all of her thoughts. She tried to allow the cooking process to stop her from thinking, but no matter what she did, she thought back to Draco. While placing the eggnog in the refrigerator, her free hand trailed to the pendent resting against her skin and the cross from Angel, and she softly sighed to herself. It was the same exact diamond embedded chain and emerald heart shaped teardrop pendent that Draco gave to her on their first day back to school. It was the same necklace that she gave to Pansy to match the emerald earrings that Draco took from her to give to Pansy. Just like Pansy gave her back the earrings in secret, Draco gave her back the necklace. Looking down at her jumper, Hermione realized that she seemed very Slytherin-like on this Christmas day. She was wearing the emerald earrings, the silver jumper, a silver ribbon, and now… now, she wore the pendent. In some sort of way, Draco was here. He may not have been physically in the house, but he managed to get her a present, and he managed to haunt her every thought. Draco Malfoy was in the Grangers home for Christmas, and no one realized it – not even him.

Nearly dropping the pot filled with the cranberry sauce, Hermione heard the next song playing from Lorne's CD. It was her own song… well, not _her_ song, she didn't have a song. It was Rihanna's song… the song that she sang during her summer in LA… the song that she sang when they went to _Caritas_. It was almost like a sign, like Lorne knew what she was thinking, like Lorne knew about the kiss that she didn't tell anyone about, not even Ginny or Spike, it was like Lorne was trying to tell her something. Placing the pot back onto the stove, Hermione felt her tears starting up.

She tried to be brave sometimes; she tried to pretend that she was a brave heroine on a mission to save a prince in distress. Sometimes, she liked to still make believe that things weren't always as they seemed. Growing up, everything had to be black and white; everything had to have a reason behind it. So she liked to pretend differently. She liked to sometimes imagine that they could win this war in the end. She, like every other girl, liked to believe that there was a happy ending. And that's what she did – she pretended she was the brave heroine battling the dragons that guarded that castle. She liked to pretend that she was doing this to win the heart of the prince who was locked away high up in the tower with no way out except for her. Sometimes she just liked to pretend that this was all for a reason, and that she would one day get Draco back.

As Lorne sang about pulling the trigger, Hermione started to cut up more vegetables to boil for dinner. Hermione remembered about those stolen nights in the castle where she would stay in Draco's arms while he promised her a better future. Hermione thought back to how much everyone tried to warn her against him – Sirius even went as far to offer her his memories of how Blacks were raised. Hermione wiped away her tears as she scolded herself for falling for the charms of a Death Eater, and she tried to blink away the reminder of the firewhiskey on his lips just a couple of nights before. Draco knew how she was dressed, and he wanted to see her… he sent her this necklace knowing there was a slight chance she would send it back… he kissed her because he wanted to…

"This is delicious, Hermione," Remus moaned through a mouthful of brussels sprouts and parsnips, "All of this. I think Molly may have competition."

Blushing at the idea of being a better cook than Mrs. Weasley, Hermione took a bite of her roasted potatoes. "Thanks, Remus."

"So how was your first Christmas in London?" Remus asked Reid and Tyler.

Hermione smiled while listening to Reid and Tyler both go into excited fits of explanations. Watching Reid explain how this Christmas was nothing like the ones they used to have in the Manor, and how Hermione's cooking is better than the house-elves used to be, Hermione started to wonder what the Malfoys did for Christmas. Did Draco wake up excited to run downstairs and sit beneath the decorated tree while opening his presents? Did they decorate the tree as a family or did the elves do it? Did they even have a Christmas tree? Remembering that Draco was spending his Christmas at Hogwarts, Hermione wondered what Faith and Luna were doing right now. Was Faith laughing at Luna's fear of nargles while eating their own Christmas turkey in the Great Hall? Was Faith decorated with garland and ribbons, while eating as much Christmas pudding as Luna? Was there no one left in Hogwarts aside from her friends, that Theo and Luna were able to walk in public without getting weird stares?

"Hmm?" Hermione asked, suddenly realizing that Remus was staring at her.

Remus chuckled, "I asked if you could please pass the kilted sausages."

"Oh," blushing, Hermione handed him the bowl. "So, how was the Burrow?" she asked before anyone had a chance to question her about her thoughts.

"It was good," Remus assured her. "Busy as it always is. Oh, Ginny gave me a message for you," when Hermione tilted her head, he chuckled, "She's going to either kill you or perform the Bat-Bogey hex on you the next time she sees you."

"What?" Hermione gasped. "Why?"

"It seems that Fleur's sharing her room."

"Oh," Hermione frowned then groaned. "That's not my fault. Tell her to blame Bill."

"I did," Remus assured her. "She begged me to bring her with me, but it's not as if I could tell Molly them I was headed here. I didn't want to have to answer any questions or put any pressure on you."

Hermione nodded her head. "Thanks. So Bill was there, then?"

"Yes, he was. Charlie even managed to come home early as well."

Hermione smiled, "That's good. At least Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had all their kids with them," she winced as the words left her mouth, and she blushed. "Well, I mean, aside from Percy."

"Oh, right," Remus said. "Harry didn't get a chance to tell you yet. I think he's waiting until you go back to school, so you need to act shocked when he tells you."

"What is it?" Hermione asked, forgetting about the fork in front of her face. "Did something happen to Percy?"

"He showed up today," Remus shook his head. "He was with Scrimgeour."

Hermione's jaw dropped, and Spike stopped shoveling turkey into his mouth. He may have been a vampire, and food didn't fill him, but he still liked to eat it once in a while. "What? Why? What happened? Is everyone okay?"

"The Minister used Percy as an excuse to talk to Harry. He knew that Harry would be at the Burrow, and he made like they were in the area for business and that Percy wanted to see his family."

"But I thought Percy turned his back on everyone, and made it known he wanted nothing to do with them?" Tyler asked.

Remus nodded his head. Hermione could hear the annoyance in his tone. "Everyone could tell Percy was there against his will. The Minister, however, didn't seem to care. He made up some idiotic ruse of having Harry show him around to give Percy time alone with his family."

"As if you or Kingsely or someone else couldn't do it," Hermione scoffed. "I mean, even Fleur was there, and she's part Veela. How could he not know it would be that obvious?"

"He's the Minister," Remus scoffed. "He thinks he's smarter than everyone."

"So what did he want with Harry?" Spike asked.

"To question him if he's the Chosen One or not," Hermione's jaw dropped again. "He mentioned the rumors of the prophecy, and he wants to know if Albus had told him anything or not."

"What did Harry tell him?" asked Reid.

Remus snorted, "He tried to play it off that he was stupid at first. He kept pretending he didn't know what Scrimgeour was talking about until Scrimgeour came straight out and asked it. He also wants Harry to side with the Ministry."

It was silent at first. No one was eating anything. No one was breathing. Spike had to shake his head just to ensure that he hadn't gone deaf; that's how quiet it got. One minute passed, then another minute… soon, they've all been quiet for five minutes. Reid was finally the one to break it. "Side – with – the – Ministry?"

Remus nodded his head. "They want Harry to just pop in every now and then. Apparently Scrimgeour tried bribing him with an Auror position."

"Harry would never work for the Ministry," Hermione quickly stated, feeling the anger rush to her cheeks. She noticed everyone scooted their chairs away from her. "He would want to actually some good for the world."

Remus laughed, "That's basically what Harry told him. And the Minister got all defensive – saying that a sixteen year old wouldn't understand. According to Harry, he said something about making Stan a scapegoat, and making him a mascot."

Everyone laughed, and Hermione could feel her own chest rumbling at her friend's words as well. "So what happened then?" asked Tyler.

"Well, what turned Harry off the most was the fact that Umbridge seems to still be working there," everyone shuddered at her name, and Spike growled. He still wanted to meet the bitch who hurt Hermione. "He told the Minister off, and kept bringing up things from the past. Finally Scrimgeour realized that Harry wouldn't join the dark side, so he decided to just be blunt and ask Harry what Albus was doing. Harry told him he didn't know, and that even if he did he wouldn't tell him, and then he turned his back on him and walked away."

"Oh, Harry," Hermione shook her head. "That's only going to give the Ministry more reason to hate him."

"But at least he stood up," Reid pointed out. "The Minister can't see into his mind, can he?"

Remus shook his head. "Harry took Arthur, myself, and Ron on the side to tell us what was said. When I asked him if he could tell us what Albus was up to, he shook his head. Ron sort of lowered his own head as well."

"Professor Dumbledore doesn't want anyone to know about it," Hermione bitterly replied. "He knew that Harry would tell me and Ron though, so he doesn't care if we know. But he told Harry that no one else must know about it – it's our little secret."

"Harry knows that I know," Reid spoke up. "I guess he realized that the Sweetheart would tell me anyways. He doesn't know that Spike, Tyler, or Faith knows, but he knows about me."

"And I'm assuming Ginny and Luna know as well?"

Tyler was the one who nodded his head, "And Severus."

Chuckling, Remus shook his head. "I can't imagine Albus would be too happy if he knew that we all knew about this."

"No," Hermione said, standing up, "He wouldn't. Anyone up for some Christmas pudding? This is my first time making it, so I don't know how it would taste."

Standing up, Remus walked over to the kitchen counter and helped Hermione grab a knife to cut into it, and some clean plates. "That's a beautiful necklace, Hermione," he said, motioning towards the pendent around her neck. "Where'd you get it from?"

"Draco," she said softly then walked back to the table.

Sitting down again, Hermione avoided the careful gaze of Remus and they started to talk more about what happened at the Burrow. Remus filled them in on the conversation that he had with Mr. Weasley and Harry on Christmas Eve, and they all groaned when they realized Harry didn't fall for Remus's excuse about why Professor Snape did what he did. Spike started to talk about a Christmas that he once had with Drusilla, Angel, and Darla, and how they killed an entire village, while Reid leaned back in his chair and patted his stomach. Tyler didn't stop eating though, and it reminded Hermione of when Ron was always the last one to finish eating too.

Christmas music was playing in the background once more, and Hermione laughed about something in Spike's story – apparently one Christmas in London, he woke up still drunk from the night before, and forgot that he was a vampire. He stepped outside and smelt his hair on fire until it dawned on him. Remus watched the way that Hermione's hand kept going up to her necklace and earrings as if checking on it to make sure they were both there, and he smiled when he saw the happiness in her eyes. He hated the idea of his daughter figure being with Draco Malfoy, but even he could see that it was meant to be. Sighing, he took another sip of the wine that he brought over and joined in on the laughter.

Hermione looked around the table, and smiled to herself. Even though she cried a little bit, this was still her best Christmas yet.

**Disclaimer: For the part when Remus explains that Greyback bit him because his father offended him, I copied that part word for word from the book. I didn't bother to change it up, only because I feel that it's personal – that's how Remus became a werewolf, and it explains why, and how he feels about it… sort of!**

**The teddy bear idea for the top of the tree was something that me and my brothers did two years ago. We couldn't find our angel or star (every year we would alternate) and so we decided to put a stuffed animal. We had a tiny little monkey doll with huge freaky looking eyes that we decided to put on top of it. It's sort of a tradition of ours now, and I figured that it would be something this group would do in order to start their own tradition! – I hope I didn't offend anyone because I know some people take it seriously!(:**

**A/N: I never knew what Mary Janes were until I started reading fanfiction, so I decided to just throw it in there; it seems like something Hermione would wear, and it will also drive Draco insane!** **So what did you guys think? The Draco/Faith scene? The kiss? Her reaction to it? Draco approaching Faith? Faith staying back with Luna? Remus? Greyback? Bringing in Oz – should he help them or turn them down? Do you want him arriving to actually help them, or just to help from far? What about an evil Oz 0_o! The presents? The KISS? Remus? The necklace? THE KISS! Am I moving them too slow? Moving them too fast? Not moving them at all? I like to think I'm making it sort of realistic, but what do you guys think? Please review, I want to know what you liked, what you didn't like, what you want – I want it all!(:**


	14. All We Need Is Faith

**So I totally owe my friend Kyle! My laptop had a bit of a mental breakdown and decided to freeze my Microsoft Office program. I have my stories all saved on more than 1 flashkey though (I learned my lesson with that) but then it wouldn't let me open any writing documents at all! I could do everything but open a writing document (already saved file or blank page)! I'm retarded when it comes to technology and I posted a cry for help on my facebook. Finally, this guy who was in a couple of my classes back in school responded. (I use to have a thing for him, and he knew it too!) He talked me through everything and after an hour of troubleshooting, reinstalling, recovering, changing, restarting, and crying, Kyle helped me to fix it. So yayyy! I can continue writing stories, and I owe Kyle a life debt!(:**

**Now on with the chapter…**

All We Need Is Faith

Dressed warmly in her jumper from Mrs. Weasley, and a pair of black jeans, Hermione tightly hugged her parents goodbye. Mr. and Mrs. Granger returned from their skiing trip two days before New Year's Eve, which meant that Spike, Tyler, and Reid all had to endure the boring party that they threw every year. Hermione was at least relieved that her parents didn't do anything embarrassing while her boys were there, but it was still torture for all of them when Mrs. Granger took Tyler and Reid out shopping to make sure they had 'decent' clothing for the party. Hermione never did understand why she was forced to those things, especially when it was filled with a bunch of boring adults who always got drunk off champagne. The highlight of that night was when Remus owled them bottles of butterbeer to keep them occupied in Hermione's room once they all managed to escape the partygoers downstairs.

Usually, when the clock strikes midnight on the special occasion, Hermione would be standing by herself in the corner of her living room while her parents' guests all got a bit tipsy and kissed their significant other, but this year she found herself laughing in her bedroom with two of her best friends, and the vampire who was a mixture of everything: best friend, brother, father, uncle, grandfather, cousin, and now professor. Reid and Tyler both sandwiched Hermione in while they all shared the giant comforter, and Spike sat on the edge of the bed watching them. They all counted in the New Year, and Hermione cheered with them when the clock struck midnight. By all, it was definitely Hermione's best New Years. The only one that followed it was the year she spent in Grimmauld Place with all of the Order members.

"Owl us once you get back to school," Mrs. Granger said, kissing her daughter's cheek. "All of you."

"We will, Mrs. Granger," Tyler assured the mother, "Thank you, again, for letting us stay at your home during the holidays."

"Don't be ridiculous," Mrs. Granger told him, pulling the now blushing boy into a tight embrace. "You're welcome back anytime. It was nice to see you again. You grew up since that summer in LA," she turned to Reid and pulled him into a tight hug as well, "You too, Reid. You've changed a lot, I can see it."

Blushing, Reid scratched his hair. "Thanks, Mrs. Granger."

Hermione watched as Spike and her father whispered about something then laughed and shook hands. After another minute of hugging and kissing the Grangers goodbye, the group all had to run towards the train just to make sure they didn't miss it. Leading Reid and Tyler towards an empty compartment while Spike headed for the loo, Hermione caught the glare of Lavender, but she didn't respond back. There was no point in stooping as low as Lavender Brown. It was funny how she and Lavender almost seemed like friends at the beginning of the year, but how quickly it fell apart when Lavender started to date Ron. Hermione smirked to herself as she thought about what Lavender would do once she found out Hermione never wanted Ron – a certain Death Eater was the only one she had ever thought about.

"I didn't see Harry them on the train," Spike announced, entering their compartment and sitting next to Hermione.

"Ginny told me they're going to floo back to Hogwarts," Hermione shook her head. "Since Harry turned down the Ministry they don't want to chance him coming to Kings Cross when it's so empty."

"That's smart," Tyler said, leaning back. "They'd probably ambush him or kidnap him or something."

Nodding her head, Hermione began to absentmindedly play with her earrings. They all noticed it, but Reid was the one who brought it up, "When did you put the rubies back in?"

"Right before we left," Hermione sighed. "I put the emeralds in the jewelry box from Faith."

Tyler's eyes landed on Hermione's chest, and he smirked, "But I see you're still wearing the necklace."

Blushing, Hermione looked down into her lap. "It matches the ring from Reid."

"You are the only bird I know who would wear two necklaces together," Spike chuckled. "Especially when one is so Gryffindor, and the other is so Slytherin."

"Well, then again, the Sweetheart is known for mixing the two houses together," Reid teased.

Turning an even darker shade of red, Hermione glared at the laughing males and began to finger the two necklaces around her neck. "I promised Angel I wouldn't take the cross off, and I like the necklace. Nobody has to know who it came from."

It looked like Spike wanted to say something else, but he quickly shut up once their compartment door opened up. Seamus, Dean, and Neville all wandered into their compartment, and soon enough they were all laughing again. Neville and Spike got into an interesting conversation about how some simple plants in the muggle world were as harmful as a Mandrake when you hear its cry. Hermione looked away from them to watch Reid play against Dean in a game of wizard's chest, while Seamus and Tyler both played Exploding Snaps. Allowing their loud ruckus to prevent herself from thinking too much about what was going to happen once they reached Hogwarts, Hermione simply just watched their games.

"We're almost there," Hermione announced once she looked out the window. Tyler and Seamus both had chocolate around their mouths from when the trolley lady arrived, and Dean and Reid both looked like they were falling asleep. "Wake up!" Hermione rolled her eyes. "We need to change into our robes."

Dean, Neville, and Seamus all quickly jumped out of their seats. "We'll see you guys later, then."

"We don't need to wear robes," Tyler and Reid both rolled their eyes when they saw Hermione open up a tiny little compact mirror. "What are you doing, Sweetheart?"

"Checking my makeup," Hermione replied by sticking out her tongue. "William, you only have five minutes once we reach Hogwarts to get into the castle before bursting into flames."

"I know, Scarlet," the vampire assured her. "Severus owled me last night, and told me to meet him in the classroom once we return. I think he's going to tell me something about the Death Eaters."

"Okay. I need to see Hagrid about something," Hermione told them. "I forgot to send out his gift, so I'm going to give it to him once we get there. Do you two wanna come with me?"

"Nope!" Tyler quickly shook his head. He and the half-giant got along just fine, but he didn't like the idea of him being so… so, giant. Or the fact that he lived near the edge of the forbidden forest. That forest freaked him out a bit, and Tyler always tried his hardest to avoid it.

"I promised Faith I'd stop by the tower and let her know when we got back," Reid blushed. He started to scratch the back of his neck.

Saying goodbye to everyone, Hermione made sure she had the neatly wrapped box in her hands. Running towards the cabin that her friend lived in, she couldn't help the slight panic that erupted through her. When Hagrid first noticed the change in Hermione he started to cry about how much she's growing up, then he started to shake his head at the idea of her wearing eyeliner and straightening her hair. _"The only beauty you need is inside of yer 'Ermione!" _was what he was always telling her, and, _"Yer too young to be wearing those tight rags. Ahh, silly little girls nowadays tryna be sumten they're not. Yer don't wanna grow up too fast, 'Ermione,"_ was always his favorite line when he saw how she started to dress a bit differently. Hermione didn't see a bother with it, but apparently Hagrid did. It seemed like she was changing too much too quickly, and it annoyed him the way it annoyed her own father.

Deciding that it was too late to change into a pair of looser jeans, and scrub off the makeup (which wouldn't have come off anyway, thanks to Luna and Ginny's present) Hermione took in a deep breath and knocked on the cabin's door. "Well, hullo 'Ermione," Hagrid grinned when he saw her. "When'd yer get back?"

"Just now," Hermione smiled. Following the half-giant into the cabin, she giggled when Fang jumped on her. "Happy Christmas, Hagrid."

Turning around, Hagrid saw the gift in Hermione's hands, and he blushed. "Aww, 'Ermione, yer didn't need ter get me anything."

"I know," she rolled her eyes. "I meant to send it out with the rest of the gifts, but I've been so busy lately and my mind got all scrambled. So I'm sorry it's late," watching as Hagrid wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes, Hermione passed him the box. "And thank you for the mittens," she grinned.

Seeing that Hermione was wearing the pair of scarlet and silver colored mittens that he knitted just for her, Hagrid beamed proudly, "I saw yer been wearing a lot of silver lately, and I thought yer might like 'um."

"I do," Hermione grinned, "They're really warm and comfortable. Thank you, Hagrid."

After waving away Hagrid's thanks for the large book on muggle animals, Hermione agreed to have a cup of tea with him. It's been so long since she and Hagrid managed to just sit down and have a nice talk about something that they quickly got lost in the time. Hagrid just finished telling Hermione all about how his friend Aragog was only getting worse, and she was comforting him when she saw that it was nearly almost dark outside. Once Hagrid saw it too, he quickly sent Hermione back up to the castle, apologizing for keeping her out so long. He figured that she'd want to get back to her friends and everything. After thanking him for the mittens and the tea, once again, Hermione ran back up to the castle.

"Doll Face!"

Turning around, Hermione felt the body squish against her before she could even see who it was. "Faith!" she cried out, welcoming the embrace.

"I didn't think I'd see you until tonight."

Pulling away from Faith, Hermione saw that she was wearing a pair of radish earrings, and it made her giggle. It looked like Faith and Luna got closer over the holidays. "Tonight? What's tonight?"

"Dinner," Faith chuckled. "Severus and Spike just sent me an owl. They want me to meet them in the dungeons because of something. And Reid and Tyler told me that you went to see Hagrid, so I didn't think I'd see you until it was time to eat."

"Oh," Hermione could see there was something that Faith wasn't saying. "Are you okay? Did something happen over the holidays?"

There seemed to be conflict in Faith's dark brown eyes, and Hermione was confused. Did Draco do something? Faith's eyes met where Hermione's hand instantly went, and she chuckled, "Cute necklace by the way. We'll talk about it later. Something tells me that's what Severus wants to talk to me about."

"My necklace?" Hermione frowned.

"No, Doll Face," Faith rolled her eyes, "The person who sent you the necklace."

Left standing in the corridors alone, Hermione was more than just confused now. She was scared. Did something happen to Draco over the holidays? Did he kill whoever he was supposed to kill? Hermione gasped. Where was Luna? Not thinking that she could wait another minute without knowing what the hell happened while she was gone, Hermione started to run towards Faith's tower; she knew that Reid and Tyler must have been filled in at least a little bit. She didn't have time to get far though because she ran into the headmaster.

"Good evening Miss Granger," Professor Dumbledore greeted her.

Stopping in her tracks before she could collide into the elderly headmaster, Hermione blushed. "Sorry about that Professor, I was…" she didn't want him to know she was eager to find out why Faith was meeting with professor Snape, "… I was rushing to get back to Gryffindor tower. I heard that Harry them came back already. I wanted to see for myself though; you know how Hogwarts likes rumors."

Chuckling, Professor Dumbledore nodded his head. Stroking his beard, he looked down at the breathless girl. "I do, Miss Granger. And you're in luck – the rumors are true this time. As a matter of a fact, I was just headed down there myself. I have a letter for Harry," peeking at the rolled up scroll in his hands, Hermione heard Professor Dumbledore chuckle again, "Although, since you were headed that way already, it wouldn't be too much trouble if you were to pass it to him, would it?"

Making sure not to show her annoyance at being delayed in finding out the truth, Hermione nodded her head, "Of course not, sir."

"Oh, and Miss Granger," Hermione turned back around, and Professor Dumbledore grinned, "The password is _Abstinence._ Have a good night now."

Confused as to why the headmaster had a smirk on his face when he told her the new password, Hermione started to run towards Gryffindor tower now. By the way she was running all over the castle, she would have thought she was in a marathon.

"Harry! Ginny!" Hermione shouted when she saw her friends stuck in front of the Fat Lasy. Of course they didn't know the new password yet. She saw Ron, but decided to just treat him like the nothing he was. After all, that is how he treated her. "I got back a couple of hours ago," she quickly explained before they had a chance to question her about anything. "I've just been down to visit Hagrid. Did you have a good Christmas?"

"Yeah," Hermione narrowed her eyes when Ron instantly started to answer her, as if he were her friend. "Pretty eventful, Rufus Scrim-"

Cutting Ron off before she stabbed him for attempting to talk to her, Hermione turned to Harry. "I've got something to give you, Harry. Oh, hang on – _Abstinence._"

"Precisely," the Fat Lady groaned in a feeble voice before swinging open for them.

Following the three others through the portrait hole, Hermione dug through her robes to grab the scroll that Professor Dumbledore just gave to her. "I ran into Professor Dumbledore. He wanted me to give this to you."

"Great," Harry grinned as he quickly read it. "I've got another meeting with him tomorrow night. I've got loads to tell him, and you. C'mon," he grabbed Hermione's hand, "Let's sit down."

Sighing as she wanted nothing more to do than to escape to the tower that she knew Reid and Tyler were both inside of right now, Hermione figured she might as well get this over with. She couldn't exactly let Harry know that she already knew everything he was going to tell her (not to mention more) so she had to at least let him tell her before she started to act all funny again. A loud squeal of "Won-Won!" burst through the common room though, and Hermione started to snigger at the shock on Ron's face. Good for him, the git! "C'mon," Hermione said, leading Harry towards the back, "There's a table over there… Coming Ginny?"

Allowing her eyes to scan the familiar looking necklace around Hermione's neck, Ginny shook her head. "No thanks, I gotta talk to Tyler about something. Are they in the tower?"

"Reid and Tyler are," Hermione nodded her head. "Faith is helping William and Professor Snape plan our next lesson."

Nodding her head to show that she understood what Hermione meant, Ginny rolled her eyes at the wanton display that was her brother and his annoying girlfriend. "Get a room!" she huffed at them, before turning and leaving.

"So how was your Christmas?" Harry asked once they were alone at a table.

Thinking over how amazing it was, and how much she wanted every Christmas to be just like the one she had, Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, fine," she said, trying to hide the grin that wanted to give itself away. "It wasn't anything special."

"Didn't Reid and Tyler stay with you?"

Hermione nodded her head. "William did as well."

"You mean Professor Pratt?" Harry cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh c'mon, Harry," Hermione groaned. "You call Professor Lupin, Remus, don't you?"

"Well, yes, but he was my dad's best friend," Harry reminded her. "And he isn't a professor anymore."

"Well William was _my _friend long before he became a professor. Besides, I call him Professor Pratt in class," not wanting to hear any more questions that she knew Harry was most likely thinking up, Hermione glanced over at the still snogging couple. "So how was it at Won-Won's?"

"Look, Hermione, can't you-"

"No," she said flatly. It was the tone that meant not to question her any further. Ron was the one who started to turn against her just because he's a git, so why should she be the one to mend everything between them? "So don't even ask."

"I just figured that maybe, you know, over Christmas-"

"I had fun over Christmas, Harry," Hermione said, narrowing her eyes at him. "Please, don't ruin it for me. Now, what was so important that you had to talk to me?"

"Well, you know the Christmas party-?" and just like that, Harry fell into a long explanation of everything that he heard between the potions professor and Draco.

Hermione could see the determination in Harry's eyes, and it worried her. She already knew everything he heard, because both Professor Snape and Remus told her, but still yet… hearing about it directly from Harry, she could see that he was determined to hate both Professor Snape and Draco, no matter what. It didn't matter what she would say, Harry would still find faults against them. But she had to at least try… "Don't you think-?"

"-he was pretending to offer help so that he could trick Malfoy into telling him what he's doing?"

Hermione sighed. "Well, yes."

"Mr. Weasley and Remus both think so too," Harry said with a bit of annoyance. "But this definitely proves that Malfoy's planning something, you can't deny that?"

Hermione thought about it. She tried to observe it from every angle. Finally she gave up. "No, I can't," she said slowly, as if the words pained her too much to say. In a way, though, it did.

"And he's acting on Voldemort's orders just like I said!" Harry proudly added.

This was it. Her opening to throw Harry off of his game. "Did either of them actually mention Voldemort's name?" Hermione asked.

She was right. Harry started to frown now, which meant he was rethinking everything. "I'm not sure…" he admitted, "But Snape said 'your master,' and who else would that be?"

_Me_! Hermione bit her lip to hold back from giggling as she remembered a role-playing scenario that took place up at the Astronomy tower one night. "I don't know, maybe… maybe his father?" she questioned. It was obvious that Harry was too lost in his own thoughts right now, so she started to stare around the room trying to think of something else to say to get him off the topic of Draco. "How's Lupin?"

"Not great," sighing, Harry whispered as he told her all about Remus's mission with the werewolves. It dawned on Hermione that Remus told him quite a lot about it, but not everything. She had to be careful about what she said about this, before Harry realized she was talking to Remus as well. "Have you even heard about this Fenrir Greyback?"

That name had been bugging Hermione from the moment she first heard Spike gasp it, but all she could remember hearing about him was how he liked to turn kids. It wasn't until she saw Harry's jaded eyes trying to read her face that it dawned on her. Could she truly be so daft? Fenrir Greyback – Draco mentioned him to Borgin as an old family friend when they were spying on him in Knockturn Alley. Hermione felt like such a fool now, she completely forgot about that day. It was the same day they ran into Draco and his mother in Madam Malkin's,and Draco called her a Mudblood. Now she wondered if it was just an act, or if he really was disgusted by her that day... "No," Hermione shook her head, "Never heard of him before."

"Damn," Harry hissed out, "I was sure that if anyone knew about him, it would be you," then he started to tell her everything that happened with the Minister at the Burrow.

Sitting in the Great Hall for their 'welcome back to Hogwarts after the holidays' feast, Hermione made sure she was facing the Slytherin table. Her eyes caught Draco's for only a second, but it seemed like he didn't even notice she was there. He didn't bother with sneaking a smile at her, or even publicly smirking at her. His eyes didn't glance at the necklace around her neck, nor did he even bother looking her way again. Frowning, Hermione tried to get the attention of one of Draco's friends, but it seemed like they were also trying to avoid her. It wasn't until Faith came late, and squeezed herself between Hermione and Ginny, that Draco finally looked over at them.

"Spike isn't too happy about the new situation," Faith whispered in Hermione's ear, while leaning over her to grab the potatoes.

"What situation?" just as quickly as Draco looked at them, he looked away. His cheeks were tinged pink though, and Hermione was nervous. Why couldn't Draco look at Faith? "What the bloody hell happened, Faith?"

"I'll explain it once we get back to the towers," Faith whispered, "But it sort of changes everything on our side now. I think we might have to get Lindsey's girl involved sometime soon."

Staring at Draco until he gave in and met her eyes, Hermione cocked an eyebrow at him. Then the bloody git had the nerve to turn away again. "You're explaining it to me now," jumping up, Hermione yanked Faith up by her wrist and started to drag her away.

"Hermione!" Ron jumped up, "I was… err… I was sort of hoping that we could talk?"

Growling, Hermione shoved past him, "Out of my way, Weasley!"

Reid, Tyler, Ginny, and Luna all jumped up and followed the two girls out of the Great Hall. Harry also jumped up and gave Ron a questioning look, but the redhead only shrugged his shoulders. If any of them were to look across the Great Hall, they would see the shameful guilt in Draco's eyes while his three friends all looked a bit worried. Up at the professors table, Professor Snape also took in the scene and shook his head. It seemed that the headmaster was clueless for once, and Spike was already gone.

"Now tell me," Hermione demanded once they were safe inside of the tower, "What the bloody hell happened? Why are you and Draco both acting so weird? And why isn't William happy?"

_ Faith and Luna were both sitting in front of the great lake and tickling the giant squid. If it weren't for the fact that Luna placed a heating spell on Faith, the slayer wouldn't have even bothered with leaving her bed, but she promised Luna that she would keep her company and that was what she planned on doing. It had been two days since Christmas, and Faith took to wearing the radish earrings that her odd friend had given her. Faith had never been one to care about what people thought about her, and she appreciated the fact that Luna was the same. Although she was still bundled up like an Eskimo, Faith laughed while the giant squid splashed some water onto the both of them._

_ "Here, let me dry you up before you catch a cold," Luna told Faith in her usually serene voice. "I've had the Pepper-up potion before, and it isn't all that fun."_

_ "Thanks, Luna."_

_ "Oi, Lehane!"_

_ Turning around, Faith stepped in front of Luna when she saw the four familiar Slytherins approaching them. Feeling a gentle hand on her wrist, she saw Luna step out from behind her so they were standing side by side. Luna had such a gentle touch, but there was a fierceness in her face that Faith only saw when they were physically training for combat. "Why am I getting a sense of __déjà vu?" Faith asked no one in particular._

_ "I need to talk to you," Draco said. There was a strong force in his voice that had Faith crossing her arms. "Hullo, Lovegood," Draco greeted Luna. They were once on a first-named basis a couple of months ago, but everything was so fucked up that he wasn't sure any more._

_ Luna curtly nodded her head at the blonde in front of her, "Hullo, Malfoy. Have a nice Christmas?"_

_ "It could have gone better," Draco bitterly replied. "Look, I won't hurt you, Lehane. I just need to talk to you."_

_ Faith smirked, "Oh, I know you won't hurt me," she saw the seriousness in Draco's face though; it was mixed with anxiety, and Faith sighed, "Whatever you have to say to me, you might as well just say it right now. Luna's going to find out either way."_

_ "Erm…" everyone turned to stare at Pansy, who was now as red as a Weasley's hair, "I was actually sort of hoping I could talk to her," Pansy looked up at a confused Luna. "That is, if you don't mind, Lovegood?"_

_ Not bothering to look up at Theo, who was trying to get her attention, Luna nodded her head. "Alright, Pansy," turning her head to Faith, she said, "We'll be right here, Faith. I'll stay where I can see you."_

_ Faith gave Pansy a quick look-over. She wanted to shout that the Slytherin girl was insane, but something inside of her trusted the raven-haired girl. She did send Hermione the earrings, after all. And if Pansy was evil, she could have turned Draco in a long time ago with the evidence of everything she knew. Nodding her head, Faith turned to Draco, "Very well."_

_ "Go away," Pansy hissed out at Theo and Blaise, who stayed close to her and Luna, "Before I hex you both."_

_ Looking over her shoulder, Faith saw how reluctant Theo was to leave Luna. It looked like he wanted to talk to her, but Pansy wouldn't let him anywhere near the blonde Ravenclaw. "It looks like your friend still has a thing for Luna," the slayer told Draco._

_ Also looking over his shoulder, Draco sighed. "The war separates a lot of people. Who knows what would've happened between them by now, if I hadn't been such a prat," seeing the exasperated look that the slayer was giving him, Draco rolled his eyes. "Yes, Lehane, I know I've been acting like a prat lately. And I know that you all hate me for it, but wasn't it you who said that you went through a rough patch because of a mistake you made? Well, this is my rough patch. The only difference is that I'm suffering through it because of a mistake that my father made."_

_ Faith took in the young Death Eater's words, and she continued to stare at him. The conflict was visibly painful on Draco's face, and she looked around where they were standing. They were now underneath a large tree about a mile away from where Luna was nodding her head to whatever Pansy just told her. Blaise and Theo stood off on their own, watching both little duos. "Why are you coming to me?" Faith asked Draco, looking back at him. "Why tell me this, and not Doll Face?"_

_ "Because…" running both of his hands through his hair, Draco noticed the way Faith smirked at the sight. Oh right – she was in love with his stupid brother. Leaning against the tree, Draco welcomed the coldness of it as it soaked through his jumper. The cold meant that he could still feel; it meant he wasn't numb… yet. "Because of two reasons," Draco told her. "The first reason is that _you_ sort of know what I'm going through. I could try to explain it to Hermione, but she'll still never know. She'll never know how hard it is to choose a side. Hermione has always been pure – she always knew where she belonged. But you and me-"_

_ "-we only go where people direct us," Faith finished for him. Taking in a deep breath, she sat down on the snow. Thankfully Luna's heating charm was still in place. "I didn't mean to kill that human," Faith confided in Draco. Something told her that he _needed _to hear her story instead of just _wanting_ to know it. "When I got to Sunnydale, I was the wild child. I just wanted Buffy and her crew to like me, so I showed them how cool I was. I went there wanting to fit in with them, but Buffy ended up wanting to fit in with me, so I welcomed it. For once I was the leader, and I basked in it. I took Buffy clubbing that night, and we were so into the thrill of it, that when we left I killed this guy because I was so immersed into proving how cool I was, I staked him thinking he was a vampire. Buffy, she knew though, she knew he was a human. She tried to stop me, but it was too late, my slayer reflexes kicked in and the stake was already in the guy's heart. There is a difference though, Malfoy."_

_ "Oh, yeah? What is it?"_

_ "When I killed that guy, I lost all of them. Buffy and Giles called in the council to come and take me away. They didn't sit me down and comfort me. They weren't the friends I thought they were. I was a problem, and their first reaction was to get rid of me. I needed friends who would've been there for me and tell me they knew I made a mistake. I needed a shoulder to lean on while they promised me that things would get better. I was young too, I was only sixteen too. Buffy wasn't the only kid who had a destiny to fulfill; I was the same as her. The only difference was that I made a mistake and she didn't, she had friends and I didn't. I broke after killing that guy, and no one bothered to fix me," seeing the unshed tears in Draco's eyes, Faith continued to look him in his eyes. "You're not alone, Malfoy. Doll Face, your brother, all of us – we're all trying to find a way to get you out. You have people who are trying to help you; no one turned their backs on you, Malfoy. You don't have to go through this alone."_

_ "Is that why you teamed up with that mayor guy?" Draco questioned. His voice was cracking, and he didn't bother to hide it. "Because he was the only one to pick you up when you fell?"_

_ Faith nodded her head. It still hurt her to talk about the mayor, even knowing that he was using her, but only because of the bond they made. He may have been a giant evil snake who tried to kill the world, but for a while he was her only friend. "He gave me a home, and he gave me love. I know now that it was twisted, and he was using me to kill people for him, but in that moment he was the only person who was there for me. He became the shoulder I leaned on, and he became the father I never had. When I went into a coma, he tried to kill Buffy for _my_ vengeance. He was the one who put me into the best hospital he could, and _he _was the one who took care of me when everyone else left me for dead. Buffy was supposed to be the good guy, but she killed me and walked away. I was a human, and she killed me."_

_ "And you don't hate her for it?"_

_ "I don't know," Faith admitted. "I did in the beginning. I mean, she turned against me for killing a human, and then she turned around and did the same thing. When I woke up, all I wanted was revenge. The mayor was dead, by Buffy's hands, and I was truly alone again. It took me a while to realize that she did what she had to do. I was too far gone already; I was killing humans for money, and Buffy killed me to protect the innocents. I'm not innocent, Malfoy. I've never been one of the good guys, but I came to peace with that. I don't protect people now to prove myself to Buffy or her friends; I protect people because I want to. I don't want to be evil again. I like knowing that, for once, I'm helping people instead of hurting them. This is my redemption."_

_ Draco nodded his head. He listened to everything the slayer said, and he knew he was right to talk to her. He knew that _this _slayer would be the only one who would understand him. "I fought it," he whispered, "I was meant to become a Death Eater on my sixteenth birthday. I told my father that I didn't want to become one. I already knew it was wrong, and I was already secretly dating Hermione. I knew that she would never be able to forgive me if I took the one mark that she despised more than anything. I couldn't do that to her. Do you know the ritual to become a Death Eater?"_

_ "You have to kill a muggle."_

_ Draco shook his head. "It's more than just that. You have to find a muggle; they don't bring them to you. You have to venture out into the muggle world, and bring back a muggle. They prefer the younger ones, so I couldn't return with an old man who was about to croak anyways. Then you have to torture the muggle to prove that you're sadistic enough to become a Death Eater. And the torture can't be quick and simple; it lasts for hours, nearly days before they approve of your methods," Faith could see the light green color taking over Draco's face as he explained what he had to do to become a Death Eater. "Then, only then, do you kill them."_

_ "Malfoy-"_

_ "I couldn't," Draco continued, not seeing the way Faith's face softened towards him. "I wouldn't do that. I refused to. My father and his friends took me into the basement and they chained me to the walls where they chain their victims. They tortured _me!_ I still refused to give in though; I refused to become one of their trained monsters. Mother cried for them to let me go, and they began to torture her in front of me, but I still refused to. Do you know why I gave in?" Draco looked up at a shocked Faith. "Do you, Lehane? Do you know why I gave in after two months of torture?" Faith shook her head, and Draco stared into her stunned eyes, "Because my father told me that if I didn't take the mark, I'd never be allowed back at Hogwarts. Everyone thinks that my father only recently broke out of Azkaban, but he was never in there more than a week," he scoffed. "Did you know that? The Ministry is so fucked up that the Death Eaters walked out of Azkaban after less than a week of being arrested, and only now they're saying something about it."_

_ Faith wiped away her own tears, "Malfoy-"_

_ "I gave in when he told me I wouldn't be allowed at Hogwarts. Do you know why?"_

_ "Because of Doll Face…"_

_ Draco nodded his head. He still didn't understand why Hermione had nicknames from all of the Americans, but he quickly learned he liked Faith's the best. "I knew I would have to break up with her, but I couldn't stand the idea of never seeing her again. I had to know that I'd be able to at least glance at her, even if every time she looked at me I only saw hatred."_

_ "She's not giving up on you," Faith told Draco. "You should know her by now. No matter how much pain you cause her, she'll never give up on you. She's one of the good guys, Malfoy. And not the type of good guy that walks away either, she's the type of good guy that never gives up."_

_ "She should," Draco sighed, "And you need to tell her to. That's another thing I needed to talk to you about. Remember how I said I needed to talk to _you _for two reasons?" Faith nodded her head. "The first reason was because of everything we just said; you understand me more than anyone else could. Our circumstances were different, but our situations were the same."_

_ "We both went dark because we had no choice, and we stayed hidden in the shadows because no one came looking for us," Faith told him. Pulling the dagger out from her boot, she saw Draco flinch. "It's sort of like a safety blanket," she explained to him before twirling the dagger around in her hand. "You fidget with your wand, and I fidget with my dagger," once Faith saw Draco sigh in relief, she said, "Look, Malfoy, I get why you came to me with the truth about why you became a Death Eater, and I know that you know I'm going to tell Doll Face the reason, but I already told you – you aren't alone. I actually had no one; I was kicked out and shunned, then attacked when I made my mistake. You have everyone fighting for you. Harry knows that you're a Death Eater, but Doll Face spends all of her time trying to convince him otherwise. We have a friend who has inside information on Death Eaters, and his girl is trying to find a way to erase the mark on your arm. We know you have a task to do, because you basically told Doll Face so, and we're all racing against the clock to help you out. No one turned you away, they all banded together to help you."_

_ "But I hurt Hermione?" Draco frowned in questioning confusion. Why are they all trying to help him when he pushed Hermione down? He called her all sorts of horrid names, and he abandoned her. Why was she still trying to help him?_

_ Faith smirked, "Because she still loves you. She can deny it all she wants to, but we're not stupid. We can all see it when she talks about you or when you pass her in the corridors. What you're doing to her is no worse than how Weasley treats her, but she doesn't have the same painful, broken expression in her eyes every time he does something to her. You can tell her to give up, but she never will."_

_ "But she has to," Draco told Faith. "You guys don't understand. It's already hard for me. I have so many things that I need to do for the Dark Lord."_

_ "We know," Faith assured him. "You need to recruit me, and you need to kill someone."_

_ Draco's jaw dropped. Whatever he was expecting to hear, it definitely wasn't that, "W-What?"_

_ "I told you," Faith rolled her eyes, "You basically told Doll Face that day in Hogsmeade. The first time that we met; when you had her pressed against the tree you told her that you need to kill someone, and that it'll distract Harry enough to make him an easier target so she'll be ignored for a while. She is the brightest-witch-of-her-age after all; she can put two and two together and get a fish."_

_ "But, I didn't think that – wait, what? A fish?" Draco was confused. He scratched at his jaw. "But two and two equals four."_

_ "It depends what way you're looking at it," Faith smirked. "Don't worry your pretty little blonde head about it – it's a muggle thing. The point is that Doll Face figured out that you need to kill someone. And I'm not stupid, Malfoy. I told you the last time that I knew you were only approaching me because you need to recruit me. But I already told you I'm not interested."_

_ Licking his lips, Draco wasn't expecting that. Well, he knew to expect the slayer turning him down, but he didn't expect her to be so blunt about everything. "If I don't kill this person, I'll be killed," he said suddenly. "And if I don't recruit you, my mother will be killed. She's currently chained in our basement at the manor, and she's tortured every day that I don't achieve in gaining your trust. They don't want me to actually kill Garwin, but they want me to get him to hand his powers over to the Dark Lord. They want the other one's powers as well."_

_ "Tyler?"_

_ Draco nodded his head, "Yeah, that one. I have until the end of this year to hand over the two Sons, bring you in, and kill my target. Each time I fail, my mother's torture lasts longer. The Dark Lord doesn't need to sleep; he can keep his wand on you for three days at a time without ever putting it down," Draco shuddered as he remembered his own misfortune with learning that the hard way. So do see why you need to persuade Hermione to give up on me?" he asked the thoughtful slayer, "If I fail, I'll be killed over the summer holidays. And if I succeed, well… then I killed three innocents, and managed to turn you evil again. That's worse than being killed. But if I just sit back and get killed, they'll make me watch as they torture my mother, then kill her, keep me alive for a couple of days to suffer, then they'll finally give in and kill me… the muggle way."_

_ Faith sat there. She looked back and saw that Luna and Pansy were both giggling together about something, and she saw the innocence in both of their faces. Pansy was the daughter of a Death Eater, but she still managed to keep some of her innocence. Luna witnessed death, but still screamed of innocence. Blaise and Theo were sitting down now, and skipping stones along the great lake while the giant squid played some sort of equivalent to dodgeball with the stones. Faith could see the way that Theo occasionally glanced over his shoulder to stare at Luna then look away before getting caught. Feeling the tip of the dagger dig into her finger, Faith looked down at it and she watched the red blood slowly drop out from it, and onto the snow. _

_ "After a while, you get numb to it," Faith softly said. Not looking up at the boy she was talking to, she continued to stare at her bleeding finger. "The pain – it all ends. You can't feel it anymore. But I still freeze," hearing Draco's body tense up, Faith gave him an odd look. He looked worried about something. "Can you still feel it?"_

_ Draco was silent for a while, then slowly nodded his head, "I like the cold because it means I'm not numb."_

_ "Not the cold," Faith chuckled. "The pain – when they torture you, can you still feel it?" Draco nodded his head. "What about in here?" standing up, Faith slowly moved closer towards Draco and she touched the tip of her blood covered dagger to his chest. She could feel his heart rapidly beating against the cold steel. "Can you still feel the pain in here?"_

_ Looking down at where the blade's tip was pressing into, Draco saw the slayer was pointing at his heart. He nodded his head, "I can still hear her scream. The muggle I chose," he whispered, "She was only thirteen, and I can still hear her scream."_

_ "I won't join you," Faith told him. "But I'll make public appearances with you as if we're friends. You can owl your father that you gained me as an acquaintance, but that because of my past I don't trust anyone. Tell him that it'll take some time before I trust you and you can direct me to the Death Eaters. It'll buy your mother some time."_

_ Draco's jaw dropped. He was stunned with how quickly the dagger was already hidden inside of Faith's left boot once more, and he watched her walk away from him. "What?"_

_ "I told you," Faith sighed, looking back at him, "We're going to help you. I need to talk with everyone else once they get back from the break, and we'll figure everything out then, but for now I'll help you convince the Death Eaters that we're getting to know each other. Let me talk to Doll Face and Reid before we start though. Doll Face will understand, but it's Reid that I'm worried about. He might hex you a bit," pausing in her steps, Faith seemed to consider it. "Then again, it might make it all more believable when I choose you over them."_

Reid was scowling while Spike snarled. Luna had her usual dazed look, but this time she was trying to sneak glances at Tyler who was pale. Ginny and Hermione, however, had their jaws dropped while their eyes were as wide as saucers. Faith stood in front of all of them with her arms folded over her chest, and her face blank. The only people who knew about her conversation was Luna, who she told right after it happened, and Spike, who found out about it when he and Professor Snape called her to their classroom. Faith didn't want to tell Reid and Tyler about it without telling Hermione, which meant that Ginny didn't find out either until just now.

"So…" Hermione didn't know what to say. How was she supposed to react to everything that she just found out? How did one react to such information? She fell onto the floor. Nobody around her moved to help pick her back up, "If you don't pretend to be showing interest in Draco, they'll continue torturing Mrs. Malfoy?"

Faith nodded her head, and a loud cracking sound was heard as Reid punched his fist into the wall next to him. "We need to get my mom out of there," Reid told them. They all heard the tears in his voice, though his eyes only showed his hatred and rage.

"I know," Faith nodded her head. "I don't know how long it will last, but it should work for now. I told Draco to wait until I've talked to all of you. Tomorrow morning I'm going to approach him at the Slytherin table, and I'm going to eat with him. Whoever the other Death Eaters are, they'll see me with him and they'll send the letter off to Lucius."

"Either way somebody dies," Tyler slowly said. "Either Reid and I give ourselves up to Voldemort or they'll kill Draco."

A whimpering sound was heard from Hermione, but she said nothing. "His birthday's June fifth, right?" when Reid nodded his head at Ginny, she shook her own. "Then once he turns seventeen, he's a legal wizarding adult. As long as we can find the potion in time to get rid of the dark mark, we can put him into the Order's protection."

"And we'll figure out another way to get to Narcissa," Spike announced. "Severus is going to try and find some way to get her out without being noticed."

"We still have some time," Tyler told them. "Not that much, but it's some."

"Hermione…" everyone turned to Luna who was now staring at the silent girl kneeling on the ground. "We'll save him," she said in a strong voice. "I know we will."

Hermione nodded her head, but she said nothing. All around her she could hear everyone planning what was going to happen starting in the morning: Faith was going to walk over to the Slytherin table and eat with Draco, Luna and Pansy was going to spread the rumor that the slayer and the Slytherin got closer over the holidays, and Faith was still going to talk to Hermione them. It would take some time, but Faith would slowly start to drift away from Hermione and become closer to Draco. The rumors were going to start that Faith and Draco were a couple, and then Narcissa wouldn't be getting tortured anymore. Hermione could hear them all talking, but she didn't voice any of her own opinions. She wanted to shout that they were being stupid, that this was all stupid, but she couldn't… in her heart, she knew this was the only thing they could do.

Hermione wanted to scratch Faith's eyes out as Faith explained she would have to make it look like she was starting to fall for Draco's charms, Hermione wanted to shout that Draco was hers and that they kissed the night before she left for the holidays, but her voice was numbed. She had been shocked into numbness. She tried to turn her head to see Reid's reaction, but she couldn't hear him either. At least he backed her up – although, silently – at least Reid hated this plan as much as she did.

A part of Hermione wanted to just hand Harry over to Voldemort already. It was Harry's fault that the Death Eaters wanted to kill her. It wasn't because she was a Mudblood, but it was because she was best friends with Harry Potter, and she kept saving his life. If he no longer had a life to save, then she wouldn't have to watch over her own back anymore. A nagging voice in the back of Hermione's head told her that this was no longer about Harry – this was about Reid and Tyler, and Faith, and an unknown face that Draco was being forced to kill. But Hermione had to blame somebody. She needed to know that somebody else was at fault for all of this. If only Harry had done his job right and been killed as a baby, she never would have had the chance to come to Hogwarts, she never would've been approached by that stalker vampire in LA, she never would've met the Sons or Faith, and she never would've had to watch the girl who's like an older sister to her pretend to flirt with the boy she was madly in love with.

Another part of Hermione blamed Professor Dumbledore for everything. Why did that meddling old coot have to keep everything a secret from Harry? Hermione knew that the headmaster knows how to kill Voldemort, and if he only told Harry everything instead of playing 'Where's Waldo' with him, Voldemort could have been dead already, and Draco would never have been put into this predicament. _She _would never have been forced into this predicament. She would have to sit back and watch Faith pretend to fall for Draco's charms while she did nothing. She couldn't glare at Faith because people would find out about her and Draco. She couldn't kill Faith, because that would be a dead giveaway, and the worst part? She couldn't hate Faith – she was only doing this because she knew how much Hermione loved Draco, and because she wanted to help save him.

Hermione finally looked up, and she saw that both Luna and Ginny had already left for their own towers. Hours had passed since Faith told them everything, and only now was she able to move. She saw that Tyler had already gone to bed, but Spike was still there. So were Reid and Faith. Hermione saw that neither of them had changed or showered, but by the tears in Reid's eyes and the guilt in Faith's, she knew they probably confronted each other. She saw that Reid's hand was healed as well. She wanted to apologize to Reid; it was her fault that Faith was doing this, but a part of her knew that it wasn't. Faith didn't only do this for her… she did it to save Reid's mother and brother. She was doing it for him, because Faith loved Reid as much as Hermione loved Draco.

"What time is it?" Hermione's voice was soft and weak; it was perfect for how she felt.

"Just after midnight," Faith told her. "Doll Face, look-"

"I know," Hermione assured her. "It's okay Faith, I know. I don't like it, but I know."

Faith smiled, "One day we'll look back at this and laugh."

"Five by five, right?"

Chuckling, Faith nodded her head, "Five by five, Doll Face, five by five."

"I don't want to sleep alone tonight," Hermione admitted.

Faith stood up, "My bed is always open."

"No," Hermione smiled, "I don't think it is."

Feeling the tight grip around her wrist, Faith looked down and saw that Reid was staring up at her. There was a darkness in his eyes that told her she was his, and only his. Blushing, Faith yanked Reid up off the couch, "Sorry, Doll Face. Well, we're going to sleep now," she faked a yawn. "Goodnight."

Stopping right in front of Hermione, Reid shook his head at her, "I'm sorry Sweetheart."

"Me too, Reid," Hermione smiled, "Me too!"

Groaning when she felt somebody pushing her, Hermione reached out to grab a pillow to hit them. Feeling a hard, cold chest instead, she opened her eyes. Spike was leaning on his elbow and staring at her. Glaring at the vampire, Hermione tried to turn around but instead he wrapped his arms around her waist and carried her into the loo. Laughing at her struggles, and saying that this was payback for kicking him all night while he was trying to sleep, Spike threw Hermione into the shower and turned the water on as cold as it could get. Spike sat at the professors table with hot pink hair and bright purple eye shadow that morning.

"Did you sleep last night?" Reid asked, sitting next to Hermione at the Gryffindor table. Hermione nodded her head. "Why did I hear you screaming this morning?"

"William thought it would be funny to throw me into an ice shower," Hermione huffed out.

Glancing over at the professors table, Reid began to choke at his sight. Spike was muttering to himself while Professor Snape looked as if Christmas had come around again. "What the hell did you do to him?"

"I was not in the mood for an ice shower," was all Hermione said.

Rubbing what little sleep she had from her eyes, Ginny sat across from them. "Where's Faith?" she asked, yawning. "I couldn't sleep at all last night. I kept thinking about everything she said after dinner."

Shifting uncomfortably in his spot, Reid blushed. "She's sort of still sleeping."

Ginny's jaw dropped. "You didn't!" she gasped. When Hermione smirked, and Reid avoided her gaze, Ginny flew both of her hands to her mouth, "Really, Reid? Of all the times for you to make the move? Now?"

"I wanted her to know that belongs to me and no one else," Reid growled in Ginny's face.

Ginny yawned again, and shook her head this time. "This is only going to make it harder for you, you know."

Hearing someone call her name, Hermione looked up and saw Harry gesturing towards the Slytherin table. "Why is your friend walking towards Malfoy?"

Looking up, Hermione saw that Harry was right. Dressed in her usual black leather pants, and what looked like one of Reid's jackets, Faith was making her way towards Draco. Feeling the knot return to her stomach once more, Hermione tried to shake it away, but it just wouldn't leave her. Reid seemed to be going through the same thing as her because his jaw clenched up. Draco's eyes met Hermione's when Faith sat next to him, and she could see his guilt. When Draco confessed everything to Faith, he honestly thought she would help persuade Hermione that he was a lost cause; he didn't expect Faith to help him trick the Death Eaters into thinking that he was succeeding in one of his many tasks.

"Adrian Pucey," Luna announced when she approached the Gryffindor table. She chose to sit next to Reid because there was nobody on his side, "He stood up once Faith sat down."

Turning her eyes away from where Draco was introducing Faith to the other Slytherins surrounding them, Hermione heard Harry clear his throat, "Hermione?"

"Apparently Faith and Malfoy started talking over the holidays," Hermione forced herself to spit out. She saw the curiosity strike Harry, and she mentally groaned. Now he's going to think that Faith is also a Death Eater, and he'll probably run crying to Professor Dumbledore because of it.

"Faith fell into the great lake," Luna added for Faith's benefit. "She went out for a walk, and she fell inside. I wasn't with her when it happened, so I couldn't help her. When I saw her later though, she told me that Malfoy jumped in and helped pull her out. He even used a drying charm on her."

Ron snorted from Harry's side. "He's probably the git who pushed her inside in the first place."

Seeing some sort of realization hit Harry, Hermione tried to switch the subject. "So, did you guys hear that Apparition lessons are starting up?"

Everybody immediately fell into conversations about apparating. Tyler finally joined them for breakfast, and even he got into it. Ginny and Luna both made sure to keep Reid and Hermione occupied enough so they wouldn't keep staring at the Slytherin table, but it only worked for so long. Hermione would steal glances every chance she had, and each time she did, she found that Draco was already staring at her. She noticed that Faith was laughing at something that both Pansy and Daphne Greengrass said, and it seemed like Reid noticed it too.

Every time Harry would try to turn his head to look back at Faith and Draco, Hermione would mention something about the new lessons. It turned out that Harry was the only sixth year to ever travel by side-along, and once Ron brought it up, everyone wanted to know more about it.

It was the first time in a while that Hermione didn't pay attention during any of her classes, and she didn't bother with eating lunch either. She spent all of her free time in the library trying to research ways to break wards. Hermione knew that Malfoy manor was heavily warded with spells to keep people out, and to trap people inside, and she wanted to know a way around it. During dinner, she quickly stuffed her chicken and potatoes down her throat then jumped up. When her friends asked her where she was going, she simply replied that she had a call to make.

Dressed warmly in thick robes, and making sure the hood was covering her face, Hermione snuck into an alleyway inside of Hogsmeade. She was sure that she would be expelled if she got caught out this late. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out two items: her cell phone that was completely useless in the castle, and the letter that Lindsey wrote to her.

_ I have someone who's working at the firm now, and she informed me that Shunpike wasn't imperiused, and that it's possible to get rid of the dark mark. She's looking for the spell to remove it. Once she finds it, we'll get it to you. I'll send out the names of the ones in your school once I find it. Don't reply to me, owls aren't safe for now. I'll contact you. If it's an emergency, call the number below – she'll be able to get ahold of me for you._

_ Tell Reid them to not do anything stupid. Tell Spike to not foolishly pretend to follow the Death Eaters, and tell Faith __not__ to stab whoever approaches her. Keep fighting with Draco – he's being watched closely, and tell Reid to not get too attached to his brother until we figure out how to get rid of that mark._

_ -LM_

_ 209-555-7192_

Call the number for help. It was originally meant to be so the person could get a hold of Lindsey for them, but now it was just to get a hold of this person. Lindsey was still gone. Fighting back the tears, Hermione dialed the number.

"Hello?"

"Hullo," Hermione spoke quietly, "Is this Eve?"

"Yes. Is this Hermione?"

Taking in a deep breath, Hermione nodded her head, "Yes, and I need your help. I don't know what else to do."

**It's so weird writing the name Eve, only because my name's Evelynn and people call me Eve (pronounced Ev, but they spell it Eve) whereas this Eve is like Adam and Eve! Every time I see her name though, I picture myself. And it's even weirder because I always hated her character. I'm sort of stunned that I'm making her a good guy – she was always just such a bitch. Even when she lost Lindsey, I hated her. (I cried for Lindsey, but I laughed at Eve) so anyway, a lot of people who read this story only read it because they like The Covenant and Harry Potter, but never saw Angel before, so Eve is played by Sarah Thompson, just to help you guys get a visual of who she is(:**

**And what do you guys think? So Reid and Faith finally sort of stepped up, but they can't act on it in public because she's agreed to play with Draco. What about Hermione's reaction – I tried to make it real enough? Spike? Pansy and Luna talking? Hermione calling Eve? Was it worth the long chapter? Was it not enough? I'm whoring for reviews(:**


	15. That Green Thing

**So I just found something out, and since I share my bad news with you guys always, I figured I'd share something good for once(:**

**I just ran into an old friend from high school a couple of days ago, and he told me his girlfriend gave birth a couple months ago… my friend is a ginger with brown eyes, his girlfriend is a brunette with green eyes (and she has freckles) – their daughter has his hair and her mom's everything else… my friend's daughter is a ginger, with green eyes, and freckles. She has red hair, green eyes, and freckles… her name? Lily! My friend and his girlfriend named their ginger daughter who has green eyes and freckles; Lily! So this is how he tells me… "Oh, Ev, you're gonna love this one. So my chick gave birth a couple months ago!" me: "Oh, wow, congrats!" him: "Yeah, it's cool, whatever. But I totally thought of you… So my daughter, she has my hair, and my chick's eyes. She's even got her freckles. Poor thing has my brother's nose, but I guess she's still cute. But guess what-" me: "…" him: "We named her Lily!" my jaw dropped and he grinned, "Now, do you know why I thought of you? You're the only one I know who would understand it. I tried calling you, but you changed your number." Me: "I love you! Let me be your mistress! I will raise that child as my own, and I will love her. Your girlfriend's a whore – never liked her. You belong with me, and I will buy our child her very first broom. We will love her no matter what. I gotta call my mom, I need to tell her I have a daughter now. Where is this perfect, beautiful child of yours? I am her godmother, I am her mother, I am her best friend… hurry up, buy your things, we need to have a class reunion and find out if anyone has a son named James!"**

**So yeah, it was amusing, I was a bit excited, and my friend even sent me pictures of Lily – she's adorable… just thought I'd share some happy news with you guys for once… now enjoy this story(:**

That Green Thing

Running the fingers of her left hand through her hair, Hermione stared at the promise ring on her right pinky: a promise that meant that Reid would always be there for her, a promise that he would always protect her, a promise that he would safeguard all of her secrets, and a promise that he would never hurt her. Her Christmas painted nails were only now starting to chip, and she could see it. A part of Hermione wanted to repaint it to make it nice once again, but then the other part of her wanted to just finish chipping away at it; giving in to the fact that she wasn't meant to have perfect things. Harry and Ron were sitting directly in front of her and Reid, and she could see they were trying to gain her attention, but she was ignoring them.

"So now, with those notes, what are three most efficient ways to escape a Vengeance Demon?"

Everybody turned around to stare at Hermione, but she was still staring at the promise ring on her pinky. "Erm…"

Spike stared at Hermione for only a second longer, before turning all of his attention on Neville, who was starting to get a little braver in all of his classes now, "Yes, Neville?"

"Avoid making any wishes out loud?" Neville softly asked.

Professor Snape sneered when Spike awarded five points to Gryffindor for Neville getting it correct. When Pansy was called on, she looked a little unsure of herself. "Don't trust anybody that you just meet, especially when they seem to take an extreme interest in your life?"

Spike nodded his head and grinned, "Correct, Pansy," he then addressed the class; "A somewhat acquaintance of mine was a Vengeance Demon, and she could take any form that she wanted. She always sensed when someone wanted to make a wish that would destroy another person, so she would take the form of a kindhearted girl, and eventually get you to admit all of your feelings to her until you trusted her enough to make your cruel wish. Cordy's wish nearly got everyone in Sunnydale killed. Five points to Slytherin. Anyone else know the third effective way to avoid being caught by a Vengeance Demon?"

Professor Snape, who had also taken in the way that the golden girl seemed to be not paying attention, stood up from behind his desk, "Miss Granger…"

Moving the hand with her pinky ring, and the bracelet from Lindsey, towards her chest, Hermione wrapped her fingers around the pendent from Draco. Avoiding the Slytherin side of the classroom at all costs, Hermione kept her gaze on Professor Snape's; she had no doubt he was attempting to read into her mind right now. "Keep your walls up," she told him, "If you don't allow yourself to fall, you'll never break when you hit the ground. It won't hurt when you're left alone, and no one will know how much it's truly killing you inside, and you won't start to feel hatred. If you don't hate anyone, the demons can't sense that they're needed and they won't seek you out."

"Sweetheart," Reid leaned forward on the desk, and turned his head to look at her. He saw that Harry and Ron were both guiltily looking at the other, and he reached his hand underneath the desk to gently pat Hermione's knee in silent support.

Not bothering with hiding the hatred he felt for Draco, who was staring at his own desk, Spike nodded his head, "Very good Hermione, ten points to Gryffindor."

"I want a foot long essay on the history of Vengeance Demons by the next lesson," Professor Snape announced after clearing his throat.

Hermione heard all of her classmates whispering around her, but she didn't join in with any of them. It's been three days since Faith and Draco started advertising their friendship, but it felt like weeks to her. Every morning she and Reid had to watch Faith saunter over to the Slytherin table and eat with them. Every morning, Hermione would push away her bowl of porridge in fear that it would come back up, and she took to spending most of her free time in the library. It wasn't just because of Faith and Draco though; it was because of everything. Most of it had to do with Faith and Draco, but not _all_ of it. Noticing the dark look in Hermione's face, Reid sighed. Carefully gathering all of his things into his own bag, he started to gather her things as well. Opening up the witch's purse, Reid saw that everything was messy. It was like Hermione didn't care if her papers got wrinkled, or if her ink spilt all over everything; everything was just sloppily thrown into it.

"Hermione," Ron stood in front of their table, sheepishly scratching the back of his head, "Can I… erm, can I talk to you?"

Looking up, Hermione saw the guilty defeat in the blue eyes, and she looked over at Reid. "I'll put your things away," Reid didn't want Ron to talk to Hermione – not when she was in this state, but he knew that she needed her friends, and Ron was once one of those friends that Hermione used to need.

"Are you sure?" Reid nodded his head, so Hermione stood up. "Sure, Ron," it was like a part of Hermione snapped, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to continue being sexy or go back to her hermit days. Her robes looked like they belonged to Spike, and underneath it were a pair of jeans and her Weasley jumper. Her hair looked like she gave up on straightening it in the middle of the job and decided to just leave it wrinkled and frizzy. "What do you want to talk about?" Hermione asked Ron once they were outside of the classroom.

"Are you okay?" Ron asked her. Hermione didn't think she did anything suspicious-like, but Ron seemed frightened by her look, so he quickly tried to explain himself, "I'm only asking because, well, you see, you… erm… well, you sounded a bit depressed, really, you know, back there… in class," Hermione continued to blink at him, and Ron was already red-faced. "So, are you? Okay, I mean?"

"Yeah," Hermione lied. Normally she was good at poker-faces, but not anymore. Lately she couldn't be bothered with even trying to force out a smile anymore. Hearing her best friend's voice from behind her, Hermione turned around and saw Faith approaching Draco. This was a routine for them – Faith would meet Draco between each class, so they could talk about dragons and other stupid things, out loud.

Ron followed Hermione's gaze, and he frowned. "I always knew that slayer was bad news. Did Harry tell you about what he overheard Snape and Malfoy talking about, and now suddenly he's got her in the palm of his hands – stupid girl!"

"Ron," Hermione said, forcing her gaze away from Faith, who was now silently apologizing to her with pleading eyes, and looking back up at Ron.

"Hmm?" also turning away from Draco who was digging his nails into his palm, and Faith who tried to look for Reid, Ron saw just how pale Hermione truly had gotten. "I'm sorry," he suddenly apologized to her, "For being a git, and an arse. I shouldn't have taken out my anger on you, but I never thought the day would come that you would rather become sick than talk to me and Harry."

Feeling sick at the thought of Ron thinking she was sick because she missed him, Hermione started to rock back and forth on the heels of her feet. She noticed the way that Draco and Faith hung back to watch them. "It's not that; it's just that-"

"I mean, we're supposed to be best friends," Ron continued talking as if he'd never heard Hermione open her mouth, "But I was ignoring you for Lavender, and you've been all alone all this time."

"I wasn't all alone," Hermione frowned, not liking the idea of Ron thinking that he and Harry were her only friends, "I've been hanging out with Reid, and Tyler, and Ginny, and Luna, and even Faith."

"Sure," Ron snorted, "As if _she's_ even on our side anymore. I mean, c'mon Hermione, she's probably got the dark mark too."

"You don't even know that-"

Quickly reaching Hermione's side, Reid placed his hand on her lower back, "This isn't the place," he whispered, interrupting the two before another argument broke out.

"Right," Ron blushed. "Sorry. I only meant that-"

"Fine," Hermione cut Ron off. Not bothering to take her purse from Reid, Hermione cocked her head at Ron, "I accept your apology, Ron. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going up to my room. I've got a lot of homework that needs to be done."

Not giving Ron a chance to reply to her, Hermione started towards the Gryffindor towers. She could feel Faith and Draco still staring at her, but she couldn't deal with them… not right now… her head was sore, and she still had Eve's voice in the back of her mind…

_"Lindsey told me that you were trying to help us find a way for a Death Eater to remove their dark mark?" Hermione whispered into the phone, scared she'd be caught by one of the Order guards that Professor Dumbledore had staking out Hogsmeade._

_ "I was," the woman on the other end agreed, "I'm still trying too, but it's a bit hard now… I left Wolfram and Hart after the incident."_

_ Hermione heard Eve sniffling over the phone, and her own heart wrenched for the American woman that she's never met. She missed Lindsey too. "Right… but see, the thing is that my, well, the person we wanted to help out, his mum is being tortured daily until he kills someone. Is there any way you could help us get her out of their home?"_

_ "This is Narcissa Malfoy we're talking about?" there were sounds of ruffled paper being sorted through. When Hermione confirmed it, Eve sighed. "I have most of the documents here with me. I'll go through everything, and see what I can find. I'm assuming the home she's being held in is Malfoy Manor?"_

_ "Yes."_

_ "I know I have a file somewhere around here that has all of the wards the manor has, written down in it. Every time a new ward is placed, it just pops up on the document. I still have some sources that can help us take them down. Once that happens though, you'll have only a very short window to get in there and get her out."_

_ "Really?" Hermione allowed her hopes to get high. When she was younger, her mum always told her to never trust someone to the point where her hopes got high, but she couldn't help it. She was ecstatic._

_ "Yes. Isn't it late in London?"_

_ "It's just after ten," Hermione agreed._

_ "Go back up to your school, Hermione!" Eve quickly shouted at her. "It isn't safe for you to be out of the safety of Hogwarts on your own. I'll contact you through owl once I find the documents."_

_ "You don't understand how truly grateful I am."_

_ "I do," the woman said, and Hermione heard her tears. "And I just don't want you to lose your love, like I lost mine. I'll talk to you soon, Hermione."_

_ "Thank you, Eve."_

Holding onto Hermione's arm, Reid pulled her towards Tyler's tower. Before he left the classroom, Spike whispered for them to wait for him in the tower. Reid tried talking to Hermione, but her mind was gone. The night that Faith first started her 'thing' with Draco, they all noticed how odd Hermione was acting. It was normal; they thought she was just 'rebelling' to the new plan, but then she left for a phone call – the castle doesn't allow phone calls – and when she returned from wherever she was, she didn't say anything to anybody. She just curled up in Spike's bed and fell asleep. Hermione still hadn't said anything about what happened that night, but she jumped up whenever an owl would fly into the Great Hall or even HOOT!

"What happened?" Tyler asked from where he was sitting on the couch. He stopped tossing the random box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans that he had in his hands, and turned to look at Reid and Hermione.

"She had a bit of a breakdown in class," Reid sighed.

Hermione heard him, and turned around. She was scowling at him. "I did not have a bit of a breakdown in class, Reid."

"You admitted to everybody that you were in love and you got your heart broken," Reid rolled his eyes. Plopping himself down onto the couch next to Tyler, he took the box from him and opened it up.

"What?" Tyler didn't even bother to snatch the candy away from the blonde who was now searching for only certain colors. They learned their lesson with the green ones, and ashy ones. "What did you do in class, Hermione?"

"William was asking about three ways to-"

"Basically, Spike asked a question about Vengeance Demons, and Sweetheart here got all emo on us and admitted she was broken on the inside. Draco couldn't look at her, Severus got whiter, and I thought that Spike was going to kill my brother for sure. It got even worse when Ron decided to apologize to the Sweetheart because he assumed that he was the one she was talking about."

Groaning, Hermione threw herself onto the floor but lifted her legs up onto the couch so they could rest in Tyler's lap. "I didn't think Ron was that naïve."

"It's true," Reid shrugged his shoulders and continued to eat the light blue bean he just nibbled on, "Rain isn't that bad."

Looking at Hermione the way that one would look at a child, Tyler shook his head. "It isn't real, Hermione."

"I know that," she snapped at him.

Hermione and Reid were both sitting at the table in the center of the common room, when Spike barged in. Faith was following right behind him, and so was Professor Snape. Hermione's robe was thrown onto the floor, and Reid's was folded neatly on a chair. Faith went straight to Reid and sat down in his lap. It was a routine of theirs ever since he claimed her as his own: she would spend her day with Draco in the public, but once they were alone again she belonged to Reid, and only to Reid. It's been only three days since everything started, but Hermione could have sworn it's been lasting all year. She knew that Faith would never do anything with Draco; not only because she was in love with Reid, but also because she loved Hermione and would never hurt her like that. That tiny voice in the back of Hermione's mind was constantly whispering about the time that Faith slept with Riley though, just to spite Buffy. Hermione tried to ignore that nagging reminder, but it was stuck in her mind like a cancerous disease – she just couldn't forget about it.

"What the bloody hell was that all about?" Spike demanded, walking towards Hermione.

Looking up from her Charms paper, Hermione refused to look weak in front of the vampire. "You wanted to know how to avoid a Vengeance Demon, and I told you."

"You foolish girl," Professor Snape shouted at her, "If any of those other students were paying attention, you and Draco would both be dead right now!"

"I'm supposed to have been dead for the past two and a half years," Hermione bit out through gritted teeth. "If they could have succeeded, I wouldn't even be here by now."

"Now is not the time to break down!" he bit out through his own gritted teeth. Slamming his hands on the table in front of Hermione, Professor Snape ignored the snarl from Spike, the shouts from the Sons, and the threat from the slayer; he only continued to peer into Hermione's eyes, trying to see into her mind.

"You won't find what you're looking for," lifting her wrist up, Hermione flashed the bracelet from Lindsey. "Protective runes that are meant to hide you. My mind is included."

"Look, Doll Face, he mostly talks about you," Faith assured her. "Whenever anyone else is around, we don't really talk much. He just tries to impress me with his Quidditch tales, but when it's just us alone or with the other three, then he'll-"

Standing up, Hermione glared at Faith. "I'll just do my homework in my own room-"

"Scarlet, we're just all-"

"-where it's quiet."

Hermione picked up her things and started to walk out, but Faith jumped off of Reid and ran across the room to the fleeting witch. Once Hermione felt Faith's hand on hers, she stopped moving. It was as if time had frozen, and if she made any sudden movements she would ruin the balance of everything. Keeping her hand on Hermione's, Faith moved in front of her. Staring into Hermione's eyes, Faith could see the fear and betrayal. She saw hurt and jealousy. She saw the vulnerable young girl that Hermione never allowed herself to be.

Everyone thought that Hermione would have been the one to break down. It _was_ Hermione who had been hurting after all, but it didn't happen. Hermione kept her brave façade – the truth only showed in her eyes. Seeing the emotions in Hermione's eyes though, Faith was the one who started to shed tears. Tightly gripping Hermione's hand, Faith stared into the reflection of a young girl who was too proud to show the world how scared she truly was; she saw an innocent child who was forced to fight in order to survive, and she saw how alone and truly frightened that young girl was. Faith stared at Hermione, but she only saw herself.

"I'm fine," Hermione whispered. She saw the tears in Faith's eyes, and she understood what caused it, but she refused to break down as well.

Faith shook her head, "You're not, Doll Face. You can't keep it all bottled up inside you like that. It's not good for you."

"I can't," shaking her own head, Hermione roughly yanked her hand away. "If I let go now, I'll never hold back on in time."

"He loves _you_, Hermione," Faith whispered Hermione's name, allowing her first time to use the younger girl's given name to have a sentimental meaning behind it.

Nodding her head, Hermione walked through the portrait door, and didn't bother looking back.

"How much do you really know her? I mean, _really_ know her?"

Groaning, Hermione looked up at Harry. She tried to find peace in the library, but it seemed like her two original best friends wouldn't allow her to be alone. She wanted to just not think about Faith right now, but they wouldn't allow that either. They were sitting across from her, and pestering her with questions that she really didn't want to deal with right now. "I told you two we met that summer when I was in LA. I had a bit of a stalker problem, and she helped to protect me."

"But she was evil once," Ron pointed out. Now that he apologized to Hermione, and she forgave him, it seemed like their months of hating each other never happened. He went right back to being his old self. "We learned all about it in class, remember!"

"Yes, Ron," Hermione sighed, "I remember. But I'm telling you two – Faith is as evil as I am."

"Then why is she hanging out with Malfoy all of a sudden?" leaning in closer to Hermione, Harry whispered, "What if she's another Snape? She knows the Order's secrets, and now she's best mates with a Death Eater. She can't be trusted, Hermione."

Hermione knew that she should have been proud. This was what they wanted; the rumors to start placing Faith with Draco, so that the other mini Death Eaters could run to their master and tell him that Draco brought Faith over to their side, but Hermione wasn't ready for that part yet. That part meant that she had to pretend to fight with Faith as much as she did with Draco. Faith was going to have to start picking on her just like Draco did. Hermione would lose Faith completely… "You just want to hate everybody, Harry."

"Yes," Harry rolled his eyes, "Because I'm such a bloody hater. You can't be that blind, Hermione. I know that she's your friend, but do you think it's possible that she's only just using you to spy on the Order?"

Licking her lips, Hermione shook her head. "No – I know Faith, I trust her, and she wouldn't do that."

"How can you know that for sure?" Ron asked her. "You do think that Malfoy's innocent too."

It took all of her inner strength not to punch Ron right then. "Am I evil?"

Ron and Harry both looked taken back by her sudden question. They both quickly shook their heads, "Of course not."

"But how do you know?" Hermione asked them.

"Because you're Hermione."

Blinking her eyes at their vague response, Hermione smiled, "And she's Faith. Just like how you two don't even question my loyalty, I don't question hers."

"Right," Ron started to laugh, "As if you would ever side with the Death Eaters. Oh, I could just see it now – Hermione Granger in love with Draco Malfoy."

Hermione felt her gut start to twist around like those long streams that she once saw a clown twirl at a circus when she was younger. Harry joined Ron in loudly laughing at their 'joke,' and Hermione felt guilty. They believed they could trust her because she would never sell out by falling in love with the enemy. Hermione did more than just fall in love with him; she once allowed him to fall right back in love with her, but her friends would never know that... they could never know that... it would kill them. "Right," was the only thing she managed to utter out of her traitorous lips.

After apologizing to Madam Pince for being too loud, Hermione followed the still laughing boys out of the library. She didn't feel any better when the large raven-like-owl flew directly for her, dropping the envelope in her hands. Hermione knew that large bird; it was the same one who delivered her necklace on Christmas. Making up a quick excuse to the boys about needing to talk to Tyler about something that Pogue sent her earlier in the day, Hermione watched them disappear. Quickly running to the loo, she made sure she was alone before reading it.

_ I've decided that I don't very much like you in green – it isn't very flattering on you. I don't think you realize what seeing you in green does to me. Oh sure, I love it when you wear those green lacy knickers, or even my green boxers (you know how much I love it when you wear nothing but my green boxers) and I like that green pendent that hangs just between your breasts, and I love those green earrings that once decorated your ears. I find myself even liking those green jewels in that ring that I know my blasted brother gave to you. I quite like you in those green colors, but not the one you've been wearing lately._

_ Jealousy doesn't look quite nice on you!_

Hermione felt her cheeks go red, while her eyes started to slant. How dare he call her jealous!

_Now, calm down love, I know you're all upset with what I just said, but we both know it's true. I shouldn't be writing this to you. I've promised myself that I wouldn't write to you again since Christmas. We've done well with pretending to hate each other, haven't we? I mean, I thought we were doing great. It was really believable with you hitting me all the time. I tried to avoid you, but then you spoke in class today… _

_ I don't have consoling words to tell you. I won't tell you that I love you, because I know I fucked it up for us. I won't tell you that it'll be alright, because we both know that that's a lie. You know the truth, and you know in your heart that someone won't make it to next year. We spend so much of our time preparing ourselves for what's coming though, that we don't take the time to remember the past – a past when we were both happy. At least I know I was. I don't love her, and I know you know that's true. _

_ I won't tell you I love you, and I know you won't admit you still love me (even though you basically told the entire school today in class) but when I touch my lips I can still fell yours against it. Do you still feel that electricity too?_

Hermione touched her fingertips to her lips. She could… she felt the heat that met it when Draco's lips last touched hers. Her insides were swollen, and her eyes were aching, but she still wouldn't cry. If she cried now, she would never stop.

_ I don't regret it. I hope you don't either._

_ Do you remember our first kiss? It was nothing like the night of the Christmas Party, but I find myself always comparing the two. I cornered you in the library that night. I wanted to know why the hell you were always watching me, and you called me out on everything when I approached you. There you were; shorter than me, your skirt was crooked, your shirt was wrinkled, and your hair was a complete mess as if you've been running your hands through it all day… but there you were. You didn't back away or lift your wand to me, nor did you slap me again. You simply confessed to knowing the real me, and you admitted that you've noticed how my threats were actually warnings._

_ I don't think I've ever been more in love in all my life than in that one moment. Your chest was heaving from your confessions, your face was slightly colored, and your eyes were filled with such intense flames that I didn't think even tears could put them out. Then I did the unthinkable – I slammed you against the shelf and I kissed you. It wasn't romantic and I thought you were going to hex me, but instead I felt your hands finger my hair, while your lips quickly accepted me. Your tongue met mine, and I knew in that moment that I was fucked._

_ I fell in love with you, and there was no going back. Do you still think about that first kiss? I know you do, but I figure I should be polite about it. That's a kiss that can't be replaced, love! It may not be a very first kiss in a graveyard, but it was a first kiss filled with hatred, passion, and love all in one. I heard it in your voice today, and I can tell by the way you avoid me, that you're afraid I'm going to find someone else to share that kiss with._

_ I promise you I won't! I don't want her, and I didn't want to do any of this, but it's part of the blasted hero complex that you all seem to have. She thinks she might have been in Slytherin, but I know she belongs in your house. Don't hate her, love, you need her. I see how much you look up to her, and I don't want you to lose that. Don't give up on something because of the bitter hatred eating inside of you. I gave in to that feeling once, and look where it got me – having to write to you in secret, and fearing the outcome of you receiving it._

_ This letter changes nothing; I know that. You'll still deny that you love me, because hating me is easier to do, and I don't blame you – I hate me too! I'll still avoid you, because I'll give myself away if I were to see the jealousy in your eyes one more time: jealousy for me. You're jealous because another girl is next to me, but you don't need to be because while she's with me I only see you. We only talk about you. Why didn't you tell me you could sing?_

_ I know I can't erase my choices, nor can I change the past, but I can only ask you to remember the good times: the times spent in hidden corridors, classrooms, that one broom closet, the Room of Requirement, the staircases, the library, the Astronomy tower, and even my dorm. When that green thing returns to you, just play with the pendent around your neck instead of that ring that I'm going to destroy one day. When you get jealous over me, or you start to miss me, just remember our stolen moments. The happiness isn't permanent, but it'll get you through most of the day – at least that's how it works for me._

_ I know you're pissed that I won't tell you everything, but it's memories of you that helps me to move in the mornings. The worst has yet to come, love, but I don't want you to hate me any more than you already do (or once did) I'm not innocent, and sooner then we know it that day will come when we're standing across from one another. Until then, though, just remember when we were once happy together, side by side!_

_ This letter wasn't meant to be this long, and I think it stopped making sense after a while, but this is the last one. It wasn't smart for me to write to you. We need to go back to fighting and hating each other, and I know that the following weeks will only worsen because of the plan. I hate the idea of it, but I know my brother will be there to console you while the girl he loves consoles me._

_ We may be in separate houses, and have different types of blood, but we're both green. _

Hermione was shaking by the end of the letter. He didn't sign it, nor did he address it, and he was right about jumping everywhere, and most of it contradicted itself, but she found herself taking his advice and thinking back to those stolen days and nights. The memories of it though, were what was making her shake. Draco thinks he can just write to her and get away with it?

Oh, hell no! Running up to her own tower, Hermione started to write back…

**I ended it right here, so the next chapter will be Hermione's letter back to Draco – I have it all planned out and everything, and it will be the entire next chapter, plus it will have some Rated M smut type things, so I'm warning you guys – smut will be in the next chapter. The only reason I didn't do it this chapter is because I haven't slept in the past four days, and it's my cousin's birthday and I'm supposed to be outside drinking with them right now, my best friend (the one I babysit for) just got engaged, and I haven't updated this in 2 weeks, so I just wanted something for you guys right now.**

**So what did you guys think of the chapter? Was it good? Boring? Didn't make sense? Too rushed? Annoying? What about Ron and Harry with Faith? Ron with Hermione? Snape's reaction? Hermione's breakdown? Draco's letter? Thoughts on next chapter having smut? The phone call with Eve? Anything? Please review my loves, they make me feel so complete(: **


	16. Never Call A Witch Jealous

**Okay, so Warning: This chapter is the reason the story is rated M. There is smut in here, and it's somewhat detailed. It doesn't go into too much detail, but it's pretty detailed (if that makes any sense) if you guys don't want to read smut, then you can just read the very beginning and very end of the story, and the beginning and very end of the letter that Hermione wrote to Draco! No one had any qualms about it last chapter, so I'm guessing that you all want to read it. But I figured I'd just warn you guys – 'tis a smutty chapter(:**

Never Call A Witch Jealous

Everybody was confused, especially Ginny. This was the first morning since Faith started to eat with Draco, that Hermione woke up without a problem. Spike watched the scene from where he sat with the other professors, and he was slightly nervous about what was going on in the young witch's mind. In the past three days since their return to Hogwarts from the Christmas holidays, Hermione took to not brushing her hair, abandoning her newfound love for makeup, dressing like her old bookish self, and wearing regular furred boots. Today though, it was as if Hermione was in a better much mood – as if she worked out whatever her earlier problems had been. Reid rolled his eyes when he saw the smug look on Ron's face, as if he apologizing to Hermione was what turned her around.

"What happened to you?" Ginny whispered, annoyed with the way her brother looked pleased with himself while Lavender was trying to set her eggs and toast on fire with just her eyes, "You look better, Hermione."

Looking up from the plate of sausages and eggs, Hermione smiled at the redheaded witch. "I feel better, Gin."

Tyler entered the Great Hall, stopped at the table, and took in Hermione's sleek curls, usual black eyeliner with a smidge of green eye shadow, black leggings underneath her school skirt, loose tie with a loose fitted shirt that he was sure probably belonged to Draco from the year before, the boots that he gave her for her birthday, and the school robes that were tossed on the side and covering her purse. "What did I miss?" he questioned.

Not realizing that he was interrupting a private conversation, Ron beamed; bacon stuffing his mouth, "'Ermineee nd I aaah fwenz alaaan."

"Honestly, Ronald," Hermione scowled at him, then turned her attention on Tyler, "Yesterday's talk helped," she shrugged her shoulders.

Reid saw the smirk grace Hermione's face, and he cocked an eyebrow. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," when she saw the incredulous stares from Reid, Tyler, Ginny, and even from Luna across the hall, Hermione started to play with the pendent against her chest once more. "Nothing," she repeated again.

Leaning across the table, Ginny whispered, "Is that Malfoy's shirt you're wearing?"

"Maybe," at least she had the audacity to blush this time. Hermione stayed up until two o'clock that morning finishing her letter to Draco. After waking up from only four hours of sleep, she decided that she would make herself look better. There was no point in allowing Draco to see how much he affected her. This time she wouldn't be so readable. Going through her wardrobe, Hermione grinned when she saw one of Draco's old shirts hanging up next to a couple of her jumpers. Deciding to wear a lacy green colored bra beneath it, Hermione threw only his shirt on; knowing that somewhere in the day someone would be able to spot the bra beneath it. Leaving the top three buttons undone, she threw on the tightest leggings she could find and a skirt that shrunk in the dryer but still managed to reach the middle between her thighs and knees. Making sure to use her tie, but not tighten it, Hermione's mind reeled with what his letter said – Draco liked her in green did he? She decided to put on green eye shadow, knowing that it would drive her ex insane. Her choice of makeup, with her sleek curls, the shirt that Draco would instantly recognize as his, and the letter that he should be receiving any second now – Draco should have a very interesting day. That's what he gets for calling her jealous. She'll show him how to be jealous.

"I don't like that look in your eyes," Reid groaned. "Sweetheart, what did you do?"

"Nothing," Hermione quickly said. She noticed that Harry was watching her closely as well.

"Uh-oh," Ginny whispered when the fat grey owl swooped in towards Draco, "Another letter from home."

Reid and Tyler both groaned in protest when they saw the way Hermione's cheeks heated up and her smirk deepened once the owl landed in front of Draco. "Hermione…" Tyler said through gritted teeth.

Draco was confused. He didn't understand much of what was going on around him. Like the past few days, Faith skipped past the Gryffindors and sat next to him. He could tell by the way both she and her brother kept yawning that they were up most of the night, and it made him miss his hidden nights with Hermione. While Faith ate in silence next to him; Pansy, Theo, and Blaise were all having a slight argument from across them. Apparently the two boys felt that it was only right that Pansy did their homework for them since they did something for her. What they did for her – Draco didn't know, but apparently they thought it was enough for her to do their homework.

Faith watched the way that Draco frowned across the Great Hall at Hermione, and she rolled her eyes when she took in how the younger girl dressed. Now was not the time to fuck with Draco's mind; though she did have to give Hermione credit – she was not the type to back down. "So, what class do you have first today?" Faith asked Draco, trying to pry him away from staring at the muggle-born. Draco didn't answer her though. His hands were too busy gripping the table, while his eyes narrowed at the way most of the other males of Hogwarts were now staring at Hermione as well. Faith groaned when she saw one male who wasn't looking at Hermione. "Harry's watching you," she whispered in Draco's ear, trying to make it look like she was telling him a naughty secret.

Quickly moving his eyes from the witch who would send him to an early grave, Draco's eyes met the jade colored eyes of his enemy, and he glared at him until Harry turned away to stare at Hermione. "Why does she have to be so bloody mental?" Draco hissed out.

Laughing at Draco's question, Faith shook her head. "That's Doll Face for you, hun. She's hurt right now, so she's acting out the only way she knows how."

"By driving me mental?"

"Exactly," Faith grinned. "Give it a couple more days, and she'll be punching you again just like old times."

"How fun," Draco scoffed. Pushing his plate of eggs and toast away from him, Draco thought back to the letter that he sent to her the night before. He didn't think she would react to it like this. He was expecting glares for calling her jealous, more tear stains for bringing up memories that he knew she tried to forget; by hell, he was expecting curses, fights, and arguing… he was expecting anything but this… this act of blasphemy. She even had the nerve to put on green eye shadow. He just told her what seeing her in green things does to him… "Stupid bloody wench..."

Hearing Draco mutter beneath his breath, Faith didn't understand what Draco was so annoyed about. "You seem almost disappointed," she told him.

"She was supposed to be…" looking across the hall once more, Draco took in the way that Hermione was smirking about something with his brother and the other Son, and he shook his head. "Just forget it."

Faith frowned. "Why did you send her the necklace?"

"What?"

"The necklace," Faith repeated. Looking around to make sure no one was listening to them, she noticed the way that Spike seemed to be paying them close attention. "From what we all understood, _you_ were the one avoiding _her_. So why did you suddenly send her the necklace?" twitching an eyebrow as she looked across the hall as well, and took in the way Hermione was smirking, Faith's frown deepened. "Are you two talking to each other?"

Draco didn't know how to respond. He didn't tell any of his friends about the kiss that occurred the night of the Christmas Party, and he knew for a fact that Hermione didn't tell her friends about it either because none of them confronted him about it yet. He didn't want to outright lie to the slayer who was going out of her way to help him, against all of her own morals, but he didn't want to tell her the truth either. Luckily for him, he didn't have to respond because suddenly there was fat grey owl flying towards him. Giving the bird a piece of toast, he took the letter from its leg. He saw that most people were staring at him, but when silver eyes met honey, Draco's heart started to race. That bitch!

"I'll meet you three in class," Draco said, jumping up. Looking down at Faith who was merely staring at him, Draco blushed. "Erm… I'll see you later, Faith," and with that, he quickly walked out of the Great Hall. He would have ran, but there was no point in allowing Hermione to see how eager he was to read her response. As eager as he was though, he was also nervous. Nothing good could come from this. Every part of him shouted to just tear up the letter before it broke him, but he couldn't – he had to know how his letter affected her; he had to know for sure that she hated him… he just couldn't walk away without looking back. Not again.

Once Draco was sure that he was far enough, he slipped into a hidden alcove and dropped to the floor. Sitting with his back against the wall, and his knees against his chest, Draco opened the letter.

_ I think it's one of those typical muggle stories. The one where the jock falls in love with the nerd after a dare that has him trying to change her into something she's not. After she transforms into the perfect girl, the jock realizes that he's always been in love with her imperfections. He likes the way her teeth stick out just a little too much, he likes the way her hair frizzes when the weather is humid, he prefers her curves and small breasts to the straight narrowed bodies of the women he's had before her. He realizes that he's loved her all along. And the nerdy girl? Well, she's at the airport waiting to board a plane to another state so she won't have to see him anymore._

_ It's one of those magnetic reactions. The loner girl sits in the library with her nose in the book all day, and when she lifts her head up for that split second… she sees him. It's always _him_ that she sees, too. You know; the guy with the long hair, the tattoos, and the dark secret that seems to draw her to him. She knows in her heart that she shouldn't stare at him, but a part of her finds that part the most exciting. Then he does the unthinkable and he looks at her. Their eyes meet, and for a split second the girl can't breathe. He leaves and she's left gasping for air. It's one of those unexplainable things, but it's one of those perfectly clichéd love stories._

_ Popular boy talks to unpopular girl, and falls in love._

_ Good girl sees bad boy, and falls in love._

_ It's a horribly written teen romance, but for some reason neither of us can stop reading it._

Draco found himself smiling at the analogy of the beginning. Of course, his little bookworm had to compare them to muggle stories.

_I do think about the kiss that night. I find myself often smiling at random moments, and my fingers end up touching the spot that your lips once met. You're right; the kiss that night is nothing like our first kiss. And between us both, I prefer our first kiss to my actual first kiss. That kiss had its moment (there's nothing like a girl's first kiss in general) but it wasn't romantic. We were patrolling in the cemetery that night, just your brother and I. We were talking about school, and he asked if I had a boyfriend. I told him how I had neither the time nor the looks for a boyfriend. It was pathetic because I was only two months away from turning fourteen, but he only smiled down at me in pity. Earlier that night he had been teasing me for having a crush on you, and when I downed myself, he reminded me how strong I was. I did stand up from the Cruciatus Curse and continue to fight after all. When I promised him I was going to save you, he leaned in and he kissed me. We laughed about it afterwards._

Draco frowned when he read about Hermione's first kiss with his brother, but he relaxed when he realized it meant nothing to her. At least he was telling himself that it meant nothing to her. What he understood from her explanation was that it was disgusting, Reid's lips were horribly chapped, and he had no idea what the hell he was doing. It was clearly written down in ink that Reid was a lousy kisser, and Hermione was scarred for years until Draco came and made it all better. Draco smiled and continued to read…

_ It was my very first kiss, and I won't forget it, but it's nothing compared to the very first kiss you and I shared. As you mentioned, you confronted me ready for a fight. My adrenaline was pumping and I was so assured that you were going to attack me. With your wand directed at me, and your other hand in your hair, I was fighting back the urge to just pounce on you. Honestly, I think I was going to. There I was, having just confessed everything to you, and you were staring down at me with an unreadable look in your eyes. If you didn't kiss me, I would have kissed you that day. But you beat me to it, and don't fool yourself; I regret nothing! _That _was a first kiss worth always remembering. You had me pinned between the desk and your body, and I couldn't breathe. My only source of oxygen was the little air you would allow me from your own mouth, and my lower back was bruised for an entire week after that, but it couldn't have been more perfect. Especially for the two of us!_

_ Is that the only thing you think about? I know it isn't, because I saw the way your eyes darkened with lust the night of the Christmas Party. I know why you snuck in; you were told of how I was dressed, and you wanted to see it for yourself. Did I live up to your imagination? Was it worth getting into trouble for? I know it was, but I figure I should be polite and ask you anyway. I find myself often thinking about those stolen nights between us, and you're right it does help through the day, but then it only makes things worse._

_ How do you hide your excitement when the memories flood you? It's so hard for me to sit through an entire class knowing that my knickers are soaked. I'll watch you sometimes, and the simple way you grunt in annoyance when a professor starts a new lesson always has me tightening my legs. How can you sit in Potions and know that we once shagged on top of Professor Snape's desk, and not become affected by it? Or do you use your robes to hide your erection?_

Draco's jaw dropped while his eye twitched at what he was reading. Shifting uncomfortably in his spot, he continued to read the letter with a dry mouth.

_I mean, after all, you were the one who wanted to talk about firsts, right? Do you remember that night, because I will never forget it: we were both doing rounds that night – do you remember? We pretended to argue for the sakes of our own houses, but once we were separated from their eyes, you pulled me into the nearest classroom. I was freezing because the classroom just so happened to be in the bloody dungeons, so you pushed me up onto the desk and you snogged me until I was panting. Something snapped in us both that night though. We were dating for only one month when it happened, and I remember you were scared and nervous that we were rushing things. But like our first kiss, our emotions took control._

_ Do you remember the way I clutched tightly onto your body that night, while your tongue traced my neck? Remember how my hands moved up to your hair, and I squealed out in delight when you bit on that one point just below my throat. I remember I could already feel how hard you were, and out of curiosity I started to rub myself against it. You hissed in response, and I thought that that was the most erotic sound in the world. I was determined to hear more of it. While you were slowly unbuttoning my shirt, I grinned against your neck and I started to slowly move my fingers from your hair to your pants. Do you remember the way you gasped in shock when I lightly traced my fingers along the outline of your hardness? I remember how excited I was when I could feel it twitch against me. I remember that you had to pause what you were doing because my touch had you shivering. Then with a sudden growl, you pulled my hand away from you and you growled into my ear. Do you remember what you told me? I do…_

_ You growled into my ear, "Eager, are we?" and I remember that I simply only just nodded my head. I tried to remain calm on the outside, but I was really excited at how you responded to such a light touch. I tried to touch you again, but you pulled my hands away again once more, and this time you laid me onto the desk while harshly whispering into my ear, "If you touch me like that again, I won't last, love."_

_ I swear I almost came right then. You took your time with me, and I hated you for it. Your fingers stayed at the hem of my skirt, while my bra and knickers were thrown onto the floor beside us, and my shirt was open. I tried to take my skirt off, but you stopped me… something about always having a fantasy of shagging a girl in her uniform. My eyes met yours, and your lips touched mine. Your fingers found my dripping heat, and I gasped into your mouth when you slowly pushed them into me. I was so tight that I remember you moaning about how only one finger could fit inside. Do you remember the torturous patience you had as you slowly started to stretch me? When I cried and begged for your cock, you chuckled at me and told me I wasn't ready for you yet. Oh, Merlin, I'm getting wet just thinking about it. I remember my voice started to get higher, my eyes widened, my jaw slacked, my toes curled, and my legs tightened… everything started to brighten around me, and then you whispered my name. Just hearing your voice whisper my name, and seeing the love in your eyes, I came. I came so hard, that I was panting unevenly. _

_ You licked your fingers off, and I instantly became wetter at the sight of your half closed eyes while you licked my essence off your fingers. I wanted to do the same for you, but you shook your head. You couldn't wait any longer. I continued to lay there, panting out of breath, and you unbuttoned your own pants. In one swift movement, both pants and boxers were around your ankles. I gasped at your size, and you actually had the time to smirk at me._

_ "It will only hurt for a bit, love," you told me. I saw the pain in your eyes at the idea of hurting me, but I only nodded my head and told you to get on with it. Your lips met mine, and I devoured my own taste. I'd always thought it would be disgusting – tasting your own juices – but I loved being able to drink myself off your own tongue. I was so immersed in the tangy fruit taste, that I didn't realize you broke through my barrier until you started to pull out. I cried out in pain, and you stopped moving. We stayed still for ten whole minutes, and I felt so guilty when I saw your restraint. I just had an orgasm, and you were put on hold because I don't like ripping the band-aide off too quickly. So I started to wiggle my bottom. You hissed out in pleasure, and I moaned in pain. After more wiggling though, the pain numbed and I was begging you to move._

_ With each thrust from you, I tried to rotate my hips to meet you, but you held me down. My hands were clawing at your back, and I was shouting so loud that I was sure we were going to be heard. I didn't think to silence the room, and I know you didn't either. I still don't know how we weren't caught that night. You moved one of your hands to my breasts and you started to play with my nipples, and my eyes were constantly shutting from the ecstasy I was feeling. I kept one hand on your back, and moved the other to your hair. I tried to pull your lips back to mine, but you were determined to watch my face. I was sure I was hideous, but you answered to my every call (faster, harder, deeper, oh merlin faster…) I remember I kept begging you to go fast until you were scared that I was going to bruise. I didn't care though; I wanted you to go fast until my mouth was shaking from speed. My shouts turned into sudden little moans, and you were panting so loudly that I couldn't get enough of the sounds coming from you._

_ Then I screamed out in ecstasy. My orgasm caught me off guard that I wasn't prepared for it. My legs tightened around you, pulling your arse closer, pushing you deeper into me. My hands dug its nails into your shoulders, and then I felt your body stiffen. You cried out my name, and I felt it – I felt you empty yourself into me._

_ Minutes later you pulled out of me, and you cleaned us both off. After we both got dressed, we both did a cleaning spell on Professor Snape's desk then we kissed. It was a soft and gentle kiss. You told me you loved me._

_ Do you remember that? It was a night for firsts. I lost my virginity, we both had our first shag session, and you told me you loved me for the first time._

_ Do you remember when I first told you I loved you? It was only one week after that…_

Draco was sweating. He was hard from what he just read, and his mind was flooded with the vivid memory of what Hermione just wrote down. Without going into too much detail, she seemed to put in detail… it was very descriptive. The bell rang minutes ago, but Draco ignored it. He knew what was next in the letter. He knew that Hermione was taking her revenge on him by writing about another first between them…

_I know you're thinking about it right now. You want to shut your eyes and allow the memories to invade your mind, but you're struggling to keep your eyes open because you want to read this in my voice. You always liked hearing me say naughty things, didn't you? You tried to deny it for so long, but I could always tell that it turned you on. How could I tell? Well, my love, your eyes start to slowly close, your forehead begins to dampen with sweat, your hands would clench, your teeth would start to grit together, and your breath always hitched. I bet you're struggling right now, aren't you? You're probably hidden in some alcove that you ran into right out of the Great Hall. Is it the same alcove adorned with our memories, love? Is this the same alcove that we hid in together the day that I told you I loved you?_

Draco's pulse sped up, and he whimpered in response. The bloody wench was purposely fucking with his mind. She was planning on him running out of the Great Hall to read her letter, and she knew he was going to run to this particular alcove.

_I bet you hate me right now, don't you? It's another one of those things, isn't it? You tried to be the better person by writing to me last night, you wrote to me in hopes that I would get out of my stupor and sort of move on. But I can't move on, love. I think of us too much, for me to ever move on. I did wake up though, and it's because of you that I did. You woke up a part of me that I didn't even know I had. You always knew I had this in me though – isn't that why you always took pleasure in our late night meetings; you liked the way I teased you? This alcove you're sitting in though, it wasn't a late night meeting between us at all, was it? No, it wasn't. It was a morning, much like this morning – the morning of this letter – you were eating breakfast across from me, and we were staring at each other. When that horrid wench put her arms around you, I was the one to push my breakfast away and storm out of the Great Hall. Only seconds later you were behind me, pulling me into the very alcove you're hidden in right now._

_ You pulled me against you, and you reminded me of how much you loved me and that the wench meant nothing to you. Is that what our life has become? You having to remind me that the women who hang so closely onto you mean nothing to you? Has it gotten to that point where we have to defend our actions to each other while we both still refuse to move on or continue what we once had? Have we become nothing more but mere memories in secret letters? As much as I'd like you to, and as much as you will most likely plan to, you won't respond – this is the last letter. We won't continue this in fear of being caught. We once liked the thrill of being caught, but now our death is in the open and getting caught is much more crucial than it once was. So we send out our final letters of goodbye before we can start to hate one another in peace. Remember the excitement of the idea of getting caught? I think that's why I did what I did that morning._

_ I wanted to be caught pinning you against the wall. I wanted someone to walk in on your back being against the wall with your mouth hanging open, trying so hard to remain silent, while I knelt in front of you. I was nervous that I would do it wrong, but all I saw were those long arms wrapped around your neck, and I wanted to claim you as mine. I prayed that somebody would catch me marking your chest with my teeth while my fingers stroked your long length. When I dropped to my knees that morning, I remember you trying to talk me out of it. Class was going to start in five minutes, and students were walking past us at that very moment, but the idea of people surrounding us got me so wet that I could feel myself dripping down my thighs. Did you know I was wet that morning? Did you know that when I wrapped my mouth around you, I allowed my fingers to pleasure myself?_

_ Of course you didn't know. Your eyes were tightly shut while you leaned your head back and stared up at the ceiling. I know you don't believe in a greater god, but you sure as hell were praying that morning. You claimed you didn't know what you did to deserve me, but with your cock in my mouth, I didn't know what I did to deserve you: someone as beautifully perfect as you. All I could think about while your hands were roughly tugging on my hair, and your hips were thrusting yourself deeper into my throat, was how much I loved licking you. I remember you nearly lost it when I started to graze my teeth along your length. When I dipped the tip of my tongue into your slit, I moaned at the taste of your salty pre-cum, and I moved my hands to tickle your bollocks. I remembered a naughty book that I once read, and the book mentioned how men loved it when a woman played with his bollocks, and I wanted to do that for you. When I heard you whimper in response, I knew the book was correct. I wanted to show you how much I loved you, so I went further – I used my tongue to tickle the rounded balls. I slowly took them into my mouth one by one, and your panting was increasing. I looked up and saw you biting onto your lip to the point that it was starting to bleed._

_ You didn't want to be caught, but I did. I felt you tighten, so I quickly moved my mouth back to your pulsating cock. It only took one hard suck, but then you cried out my name in the throes of passion, and you came right into my mouth. It was a weird taste: like salt and oranges. I vaguely thought back to the taste of my own juices, but I loved yours much better. It became a taste that I found myself constantly craving. Even now, I'll occasionally put salt onto an orange and eat it with you in mind. You pulled me up after I finished licking you clean, and you were so out of breath that I had to fix your clothing for you. It was then when I admitted I loved you. I told you that I loved you, and that you belonged to me and only me._

_ You were mine!_

_ Who would have thought the time would come when I allowed my jealousy to get in the way of my schooling? You were right in your letter; I don't like the idea of someone else hanging onto you, even if I do take her like a sister. You belong to me, and only to me! Just as I belong to only you._

_ Our love no longer matters, because we've both made it clear: we stand on different ends. I hate you as much as you hate me. You won't tell me what you must do, and I won't tell you what I must do. But we both know that I won't give up until I save you. And should the day come that we're forced to face each other before I'm able to save you, we both know that our wands will be drawn. But can we do it? Can we utter the unforgiving words at each other?_

_ I didn't tell you I could sing, the same way you didn't tell me you were afraid of thunderstorms. We both have our secrets; secrets that were given away by our family. Your brother confided in me secrets of a baby brother that he once used to laugh with, and my sister confided in you secrets of a young naïve girl that she once hung out with._

_ Like your letter, mine veered off its course but I think I made my point clear. Yes, I do think of you. No, I haven't forgotten you. I will always be jealous, because you are mine. What's coming up is only pushing me even harder to rescue you, and until that day comes we must keep up our facades. You can claim to not want me back, but I'll know it's all a lie… I see it in your eyes when you look at me: love, pain, lust, possession, LOVE! You can't stop loving me, the same way I'll never give up on you._

_ Now hurry up, and get to class before Professor Snape and Professor Pratt give you detention. _

"Malfoy," Spike turned to the pale boy covered in sweat, "Why are you late?"

Avoiding the eyes of his godfather, Draco chose to stare at the vampire professor instead. His mind was too throttled to block out anything, and he knew that his godfather would learn everything in only a matter of seconds. At least he didn't have to worry about Spike learning anything. "Sorry," he muttered, "I got caught up in something."

"Ten points from Slytherin for being late," Spike announced before Professor Snape had a chance to say anything. "Now hurry up and take your seat."

Draco's heart was racing with everything he just read. He knew that Hermione must have stayed up late to write her letter to him, but when he saw her at breakfast she looked so refreshed. Avoiding the eyes of his friends when he sat next to Blaise, Draco chanced a quick look across the room. Hermione was watching him; trying to read his reactions to her memories, and he tried to disappoint her, but he couldn't manage to hide the emotions on his face. Draco knew he was pale, and he knew he was still sweating. Just looking across the classroom at Hermione brought back the vivid memories, and Draco saw a blush grace her cheeks. With a smirk he motioned towards Professor Snape's desk, and he saw her blush deepen. That was the thing about Hermione – she always had a knack for talking naughty in the moment, but once the deed was done, she turned as red as a cherry. Running a hand through his hair, Draco continued to stare at Hermione. He could see the slight way her chest was heaving at his intense stare.

"Sweetheart?"

Breaking her gaze with Draco, Hermione looked up at Reid and she saw the way he was staring at her. "Are you okay?" when she nodded her head, Reid leaned in and softly whispered, "Harry's been watching you and Draco stare at each other from the time he entered the class. Stop it!"

Hermione nodded her head again, and then chanced another quick look at Draco who was now staring at Professor Snape's desk. Her heart began to race, and she squirmed in her seat. "Sorry," she muttered.

Draco smirked as he watched Hermione squirm from the corner of his eyes. He knew what she was thinking of, and it took all he had to not palm himself through his pants. He knew that Hermione's letter wasn't meant to just torture him (although she did that on purpose) but it was meant to also give him a bit of a warning. She still loved him, and she would be jealous no matter what because in her mind he still belonged to her. Draco felt the same way – if Weasley went near Hermione just one more time, he would most likely out himself to all of Hogwarts – but until he found a way to no longer be a Death Eater, they would always be on opposite sides of the upcoming war.

Sighing in defeat, Draco didn't notice the way Professor Snape blanched and pushed away from his desk as if it burned him; nor did he notice the curious way Harry was staring at him. Draco was too lost in his thoughts of getting back on Hermione's good side, that he didn't see Hermione stealing glances at him with a smug look on her face.

Only one thing mattered now – win Hermione back!

Too bad he had to kill her favorite headmaster…

**Okay, so I see I have new readers and reviewers – HI(:**

**And to answer some questions: **

**A lot of you want to know why Harry was siding with Hermione or why I was making Harry and Hermione drift apart – it happened in the books. I'm trying to somewhat keep up with the books storyline, while adding in more of my own storyline, but in the books, Harry always sided with Ron (aside from 4th year) but Harry chose to be with Ron instead of Hermione. There would be some moments when Ron was with Lavender that Harry went off with Hermione, but I think I only put that in just once or twice, because instead of Hermione being a loner I have her with Reid them in this story. I'm not trying to break the trio up, but they were sort of already broken for most of this book. But I did bring Hermione and Ron back together before they were meant to in the book. But this is my story guys, so it will veer off from how Miss Rowling intended it.**

**And as for Harry or Ron finding out the truth – sorry, but no… maybe… it will happen… it won't happen… I don't want to give this away… you'll just have to keep reading to find out if they learn the truth(: **

**But what did you guys think about this chapter? Aside from the smut, it was my favorite(: I like the way that Hermione and Draco are finally sort of confronting each other. I liked the part about Snape finding out about his desk as well(: hehehe… so what did you guys like about it, not like about it? Was the smut okay? Too smutty, not smutty enough, do you want more smut? Hermione writing the letter, Draco's reaction, Harry's observance, Faith's observance, what do you think Theo and Blaise helped Pansy with?**


	17. Back To Reality

Back To Reality

"Hermione!"

Turning around from where she was standing with Tyler and Reid, Hermione saw Harry and Ron running to her. "Why are you two running?" she asked them as they heaved in front of her. "Is everything alright?"

Harry nodded his head while Ron continued to lean his hands on his knees, and pant out of breath. "I've only just remembered," Harry told her, "I need to talk to you about something."

"Okay," looking up at Reid and Tyler, Hermione said, "I'll meet you guys later."

Reid cocked an eyebrow in confusion. Harry was usually talkative in front of him. Realizing that it might be because of Tyler though, he said, "I've got to see Professor Flitwick about the new charm anyway."

"And I promised Luna that I'd help her with something," Tyler shrugged his shoulders. "See ya guys later."

Once her two friends were gone, Hermione turned to Harry. "What is it?"

"You remember how Professor Dumbledore wanted to see me the night after we returned from the holidays?" Hermione nodded her head, so Harry continued in a low voice, "Well, he took me into another memory of Riddle's; this one though was of Riddle going to his mum's old house. But when Riddle got there his uncle told him something about his mum stealing Salazar Slytherin's locket before running off to marry a muggle. Morfin was confused when he saw Riddle; thought he was the muggle that his sister ran off with."

"Then Riddle moved towards Morfin, and everything went black," Ron finished for Harry, also speaking in a low voice.

"There was a ring on Morfin's finger," Harry told Hermione, "And Professor Dumbledore told me that when Morfin woke up the next day, he was lying on the floor and the ring was gone. It was the same ring that Marvolo wore in the other memory that I saw. Morfin was then arrested by the Ministry of Magic because that same day the muggles found the entire family of Riddles dead in their own home: Riddle Senior, and his mum and dad. They didn't bother using Veritaserum or Legilimency on Morfin, because he admitted to the murders on the spot. He willingly handed them his wand, and his wand was proved to be the weapon that killed the Riddles. He claimed he'd been wanting to do that for years, and he went off to Azkaban without a fight. The only thing he didn't understand was why he wasn't wearing his dad's ring."

"So Voldemort stole Morfin's wand and used it to kill his father and grandparents?" Hermione questioned with a whisper. "Then he used a spell to modify his uncle's memories to think he'd done it himself?"

Harry nodded his head. "Professor Dumbledore is the only one who managed to coax the memory out of Morfin, because why would anyone search into his mind when he willingly confessed to the murders?"

Hermione released a snarl. "That only goes to prove how fuc – messed up the Ministry truly is," she argued. Hermione caught the looks on both Harry and Ron's faces when she almost slipped up and swore in front of them, but she played it off as if she didn't say anything. "What else did Dumbledore say?"

After a quick glance at Harry, Ron cleared his throat. "There was another memory that night."

"This one was of Riddle approaching Slughorn," Harry quickly explained. "Riddle asked Slughorn about something called a Horcrux. There were details to the memory, but the only important thing is that Riddle coaxed Slughorn with a crystalized pineapple, and he asked him about Horcruxes. Slughorn got upset, and then sent him out of the room."

"If Slughorn sent him out, then why is the memory important?"

"Because he didn't," Ron grinned. "Slughorn answered Riddle's questions, but gave Dumbledore a tampered memory. He's ashamed of what he's done, and now Dumbledore needs Harry to get the real memory from Slughorn."

Hermione bit on her bottom lip and nodded her head, "So that's why he wanted Slughorn here. Dumbledore needs that memory. If Slughorn's hiding it from Dumbledore then it must be something really dreadful."

"But it should be no problem," Ron was still grinning. "Slughorn loves Harry."

"I doubt he loves Harry enough to answer his questions though," Hermione sighed. "Horcrux… Horcruxes… I've never heard of them before."

Harry groaned, "Really? I was hoping that you of all people would know what they were."

"Nope," she shook her head. _Maybe Reid knows,_ Hermione thought to herself, _he was technically raised by a Death Eater for all of his childhood_. "Dumbledore didn't tell you anything about it?"

"He doesn't want to say anything about it until I get that memory. I think this is what he's been working me up to all year."

Still trying to think of what a Horcrux could be, Hermione stared at Harry, "It must be really advanced dark magic if Voldemort asked about it," she warned him. "Be careful of how you approach Slughorn."

"I told him to just approach Slughorn after class," Ron announced proudly. "I mean he loves Harry enough."

Hermione opened her mouth to point out the flaw in straight out asking Slughorn, but the bell rang to signal it was time for class, and she sighed then left them alone. Across from her vision she could see Faith laughing at something that Draco was telling her – according to Faith, Draco now filled her in on Reid's embarrassing moments from when they were kids; much to Reid's dismay – and Hermione tried to ignore them. It's been two days since the letter to Draco, and they still ignored each other with hostility, but at least Hermione didn't try to secretly hex Faith anymore. Entering the classroom before Harry and Ron, Hermione caught Blaise's eyes and they both quickly shared a smile before sneering at the other. Sitting between Harry and Reid, Hermione stared profusely at her cauldron.

"Settle down, settle down, please!" Professor Slughorn cried out as he stood in front of the room. "Quickly, now, lots of work to do today! Golpalott's Third Law… who can tell me – but, Miss Granger can, of course!"

Realizing that everyone in class was now staring expectantly at her, Hermione scowled. She didn't even raise her bloody hand. "Golpalott's Third Law states that the antidote for a blended potion will be equal to more than the sum of the antidotes for each of the separate components."

"Precisely," Professor Slughorn beamed. "Ten points for Gryffindor! Now, if we accept Golpalott's Third Law as true…"

Hermione stared blankly into space as Porfessor Slughorn started to explain more into detail about Golapalott's Third Law, and she could faintly hear the scratching of Reid's quill next to her. What the hell was a Horcrux, and why the hell would young little creepy Tom Riddle want to know about it? Was the memory of him killing his father then framing his uncle before or after Professor Slughorn told him all that he wanted to know? It took the young Voldemort bribery before he could get the answers he wanted, so Hermione already knew that Ron and Harry's plan would fail, but a part of her didn't want Harry to know the truth yet. She wanted to learn all she could about Horcruxes, so that she could learn what Professor Dumbledore was up to before Harry put himself into danger; nearly getting killed. Why did this year seem to only get worse?

"… and so," Professor Slughorm finished, "I want each of you to come and take one of these phials from my desk. You are to create an antidote for the potion within it before the end of the lesson. Good luck, and don't forget your protective gloves!"

Hermione noticed she was the only one working on her potion before anybody else even started theirs. Rolling her eyes at the incredulous looks she was getting, Hermione scooped up her potion into her phial, and then stood up. "It's a shame the Prince won't be able to help you much with this, Harry," she smugly smirked at him.

Spending the rest of the lesson in her own little world, Hermione ignored Harry and Ron while they tried to watch what she was doing, and she didn't bother with answering any of Reid's questions for help. To be honest, she was getting by purely on luck –_ she_ didn't even know what she was doing; her mind was so into learning what a Horcrux was. Hermione just leaned over to Reid to ask him if he had any ideas, when she saw Harry stand up and walk across the room. Lifting an eyebrow in suspicion, Hermione frowned when she realized what Harry was doing.

"Miss Granger!" Professor Slughorn called out, drawing attention from everybody. "Where are you going?"

Leaving her cauldron and phials all laid out on the desk, Hermione pulled her purse's strap over her shoulder. "I don't feel good," she quickly lied to the professor.

From across the room, Draco was staring at her with confusion on his face. "There's only two minutes left in class, Miss Granger."

"My potion is done," Hermione shrugged her shoulders. With a wave of her wand, the phials were all on Slughorn's desk and her cauldron clean. "I'm going to see Professor Snape about a potion to make me feel better," and just like that she was gone.

Word began to spread around about how Harry Potter used a bezoar instead of a potion, and how Professor Slughorn praised him for his risky choice, but Hermione paid no attention to any of the rumors. Some of the other students thought she was just bitter because her best friend was beating her, but Tyler and Reid had to hold her back occasionally for hexing Harry because he was nothing more than a cheater. Trying to remember something that Cordelia taught her, Hermione counted to ten, then twenty, thirty… a hundred… two hundred… and she was still seeing red. She wanted to kill Harry, and whoever the bloody Prince was.

It was a couple of days before Hermione even remembered to ask Reid about the Horcruxes. She was in the library searching for books on it, when she realized that there were none. She even asked Spike to sign a slip saying she could look for a book in the restricted section, but it frightened her when she saw that there was none. There were books explaining how to skin a person alive; keeping them alive for two weeks, and then slowly dipping them into a pot with boiled chicken broth and chopped potatoes, to enhance your chances of luck. If a book like that was allowed inside of a school, then what the hell is a bloody Horcrux?

"Reid!" entering the tower that they practically lived in now, Hermione dropped her things on the couch next to Tyler. "Where's Reid?"

"Bedroom with Faith," Ginny answered from her spot on the floor. "Okay, so if I mix in dried billywig stings, snake fangs, and wolfsbane, what do I get?"

From her own spot on the floor, Luna was staring up at the ceiling, "Awakening Potion."

"Good job, Luna," Ginny grinned.

Smiling as she realized the two younger girls were studying for a potions test they were having in a week, Hermione made her way up to Faith's bedroom. Normally she would wait for them to be finished, but this was crucial – they needed to find out what a Horcrux was _before_ Harry somehow managed to persuade Professor Slughorn to give him his hidden memory. "Faith!" she knocked on the door, "Reid!" giving them a few seconds to hide themselves, Hermione opened the door and caught the fleeting glimpse of a bare white arse while it climbed off of a panting Faith. "I need your help with something," she told them, "Meet me downstairs."

Smirking to herself when she heard Reid swearing, while Faith laughed at something, Hermione walked downstairs and saw Professor Snape standing there. His eyes met hers, and Hermione saw the faint color of blush on his cheeks before his eyes darkened and narrowed. "Miss Granger," he spoke her name as if it were a curse, "Just the person I was looking for."

"Really?" Hermione asked him. "It seemed like you were avoiding me this past week."

"That's because I was," Professor rolled his eyes. "You owe me a new desk."

Hermione looked confused for a couple of seconds but, when she saw the hint of blush in the professor's cheeks once more, she suddenly gasped. Feeling her own cheeks burning up, Hermione covered her face with her hands. She wanted to cry. "Oh no!"

"Exactly!" the scowling professor shouted at her. "Now, I've kept my calm this past week, but I can't sit at that desk anymore without seeing what I saw in my godson's mind. Now normally I would approach him about this, but seeing as how he can't know I'm on your side until we manage to bring him over, I can't tell him what I saw, now can I?"

Shaking her head, Hermione heard her friends laughing all around her, and she groaned out in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, sir. I'll order you a new desk today."

"Good!" Professor Snape sighed with relief. "Spike, it seems like you're going to have an accident in class later today, and you're going to break that bloody desk to the point where it's un-repairable by any means of magic."

Nodding his head, Spike tried to hide his smirk. "Draco will think I found out about the night spent on it, and decided to kill it myself. He won't know you know anything."

"Really, Doll Face," Faith chuckled from the steps, "The teacher's desk? I didn't think you had it in you."

Still blushing, Hermione refused to look up at anyone. "Oh shut up!"

Telling Professor Snape to stay in the room so that they wouldn't have to search for him later, Hermione told all of them about what Harry saw in the pensieve with Professor Dumbledore. She explained all about Riddle killing his father and grandparents, then blaming it on his uncle, and she explained about him questioning Professor Slughorn to find out what a Horcrux was. Hermione noticed the way that Reid flinched when she mentioned it, but Professor Snape didn't seem to react at all. By the time she finished talking about it, Ginny and Luna had put away all of their books.

"And Harry failed in getting information from Slughorn?" Ginny asked.

Hermione nodded her head. "He shouted at him, stopped the Slug Club meetings, and avoids him altogether now."

"It sounds familiar," Reid said faintly. "But I don't remember what it is. I just remember Lucius talking to Bellatrix about it once, when I was like three. It was a week before the Potters were killed."

"You remember that?" Professor Snape asked with wide eyes.

"Barely," Reid was still frowning. "I know it isn't good though. I think Bellatrix has one inside of her vault at Gringotts."

"Why would Bellatrix have a Horcrux in her vault?" questioned Luna. Cocking her head at Professor Snape, her dreamy tone was still intact. "Did Voldemort give one to all of his Death Eaters?"

"No," he shook his head, "I don't remember hearing anything about a Horcrux in our meetings either. It could be perhaps that the Dark Lord gave the Horcrux to Bellatrix to hold for him?"

Spike was leaning against the armrest of the chair that Hermione was sitting on, and frowning, "But what about the ring?"

"Marvolo's ring?" asked Tyler. "What about it?"

"It seems fishy, don't it," Spike said. "The ring popped up in more than one memory, and it's the only thing that Morfin remembers? Didn't Harry say something about that being the same ring that Albus wore in the summer time?"

Suddenly Professor Snape gasped. It was very un-Snape like, and it scared Hermione. "That conniving old man!" he muttered to himself. "I'll let you know when I learn something," he announced to all of them, quickly walking towards the portrait that would lead him out. "I just remembered something about that ring; it's one of the things I can't tell you because it has to do with Draco's task from the Dark Lord. Keep searching though."

"Is it just me or does Professor Snape look like he's about to turn against Professor Dumbledore?" Ginny asked the room after the portrait slammed shut.

Luna shook her head. "Professor Dumbledore is keeping secrets from everyone. Professor Snape is discovering them."

"Do you think the ring is the Horcrux?" Faith suddenly asked the entire room. "What if the ring is the thing we're looking for?"

"Then Dumbledore wouldn't need Harry to find out what Slughorn's told little Voldemort," Reid shook his head.

Hermione's eyes widened, "Unless there's more than one. Reid, you said it yourself that you remember something about a Horcrux being in Bellatrix's vault at Gringotts, the ring does sound like a likely choice, and Dumbledore is refusing to answer any of Harry's questions until he can get that memory."

"Sounds to me like Albus knows what's going on, but he needs that memory to confirm it," Spike snarled. "And he's using a child to get it."

Realizing they wouldn't get anywhere, Hermione stood up. Without saying anything, she grabbed a quill and roll of parchment…

_I know you don't owe us anything, but I don't know who else to turn to. Do you know anything about a Horcrux? It's crucial to everything happening this year, and I need as much information on it as I can get. Any help you can give will be greatly appreciated!_

_ Thank you,_

_ HG_

"Why didn't you send it to Angel?"

Turning around to see Faith standing behind her, Hermione shook her head. "He's one of them now."

"He's still the good guy, Doll Face."

"He sent Lindsey to an alternate hell," Hermione growled. "That doesn't make him the good guy. If Angel didn't do anything wrong he would've been the one to tell us about what happened. He didn't even tell us he owned Wolfram and Hart now. We had to find out from Lindsey, and other people. I don't want anything to do with Angel."

"You talked to him since then."

"Yeah, well… I changed my mind," huffing like a little child, Hermione left Faith in the owlry by herself. Not paying attention to where she was walking, Hermione felt a familiar hand wrap around her wrist then pull her out of the public eye. "Draco," she gasped out.

Grinning against the witch's shocked face, Draco released her hand but kept her pinned against the wall, "Hermione."

"I thought we weren't going to confront each other like this anymore," her heart was racing, and she could feel her nerves colliding together.

Nodding his head, Draco was still grinning. "I'm not here for that. I'm here for a favor."

"A-A favor?" why was she so nervous? She knew he wouldn't hurt her – not yet.

He nodded his head again. "It seems like Blaise and Theo failed. They're currently in the hospital wing because of it," seeing the fear in the brown eyes, Draco quickly shook his head. "They're fine! Pansy just didn't appreciate looking like an idiot. It seems like Pansy has a crush, and my two friends were bloody idiots. Instead of admitting they didn't get it for her, they lied and sent her out to Hogsmeade believing she was meeting someone. When she realized they lied to her… well, it'll be a while before Madam Pomfrey can fix them up."

"A crush?" Hermione frowned. "On who?"

"A certain Son," Draco continued to press Hermione against the wall. He chose to watch her facial expressions while she thought about who he meant. It took only a few seconds before Hermione was suddenly gasping.

"That's what Parkinson and Luna are always talking about."

"And that's why Simms is always talking to the Weaslette," Draco nodded his head. "Lovegood and Pansy spoke about this before, and Lovegood told Weaslette, so Weaslette was supposed to inform Simms. The only thing is… Blaise and Theo were supposed to find out what he said and set up the date. Pansy is finding a hard time meeting up with your two friends because of the things happening."

Hermione suddenly frowned again. She knew that Tyler was constantly talking about Pansy, but what if this was just another set up? What if Pansy's task from Voldemort is to bring in Tyler, the way that Draco is supposed to bring in Faith? "Is it real?" she asked him. "Or is this just another task from Voldemort?"

"What?" Draco frowned as well, and suddenly stepped away from her. "Pansy is nothing to the Dark Lord!"

Folding her arms over her chest, Hermione wished her heart would calm down. Draco wasn't pressed against her anymore, her heart shouldn't be acting this way, "And yet Tyler is a Son – a Son that your side wants dead," she reminded him. "You should understand where I'm coming from."

"And yet I don't," Draco snarled out. "You just want to hate everybody from Slytherin. We aren't all evil, Granger!"

"Doll Face!" stepping into the spot that the arguing Gryffindor and Slytherin were currently standing in, Faith leaned and whispered so that Draco couldn't hear them or see her lips move, "We have a guest. You need to come to the room right now."

Nodding her head, Hermione glared at Draco. "I knew it. I knew there was something else to your bloody letter! And to think I believed that you still had some sense in you. This was all a bloody ploy to you to earn my trust. I'll talk to Tyler for Parkinson, but only because I owe her. Other than that, the next time you pull me into an alcove I'll hex you so hard that your ancestors will feel it."

"What happened?" Faith asked Draco once Hermione stomped away.

Sighing, Draco ran his hands through his hair and shook his head, "Why does she owe Pansy?"

"None of my business," Faith shrugged her shoulders, not wanting to mention the earrings.

Seething from the somewhat meeting with Draco, Hermione stepped into the room that her friends were all living in. Her hair was a mess from yanking on it too much, and her eyes were still slanted from the thought of Draco getting so defensive over her accusation. If the crush from Pansy was genuine he would've just shaken his head and calmly explained it to Hermione – why did he shout at her, and look pissed? Looking around, Hermione saw that there was a newcomer amongst them – the guest that Faith mentioned. He was short and pale, and his hair was red and sort of shaggy. His bright green eyes landed on her, and he smiled. Was it even possible to be shorter than Seamus?

"Scarlet," Spike said. He waved his hand at the short guy, "Meet Oz. He's here to help."

"I hear you guys have a werewolf you want me to help teach to control his transformations," Oz grinned.

Hermione was suddenly grinning. She couldn't believe it; things were finally getting better! Absentmindedly playing with the necklace around her neck, Hermione decided to tell Tyler about Pansy later. Faith was already back inside the room; Reid, Tyler, Spike, Ginny, Luna, and even Professor Snape were all standing around the werewolf. If they played their cards right, they could end this soon. Professor Dumbledore was so busy manipulating Harry into doing his work for him, that he didn't even realize he had his own students and professors plotting to take Voldemort down once and for all. They were even working on bringing the werewolves onto their own side.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, Oz!" Aside from figuring out the Horcrux thing, and saving Draco, they were finally getting somewhere.


	18. Apparition, Roses, and Complications

Apparition, Roses, and Complications

February was cold and dreary. The snow was all melted from the grounds, but the skies remained grey. Rain usually fell, making the grass slippery and muddy. Dumbledore knew that Oz was visiting them, but he didn't know the true reason of why Oz was at Hogwarts. As far as Dumbledore knew, Oz was in London for a concert to do with his band and he heard that his old friends were teaching at a school for witchcraft and wizardry. Spike and Faith both assured Dumbledore that Oz was trustworthy, and that he didn't know anything about the Death Eater situation or anything about the Order of Phoenix. In truth though, Oz knew more about the entire situation than Dumbledore himself knew. Because he knew how to control his werewolf urges, no one aside from the ones who spent all of their time in Faith's tower knew the truth about Oz's condition. Dumbledore himself didn't know anything about their new guest being a werewolf.

"Hey Hermione."

Looking up from the spot she was sitting at, Hermione saw Oz approaching her. It was funny how much he did remind her of Seamus in a way, but not by much. Wearing a lime green colored collared shirt that was open over a black t-shirt that read, _Dingoes Ate My Baby_, Oz reminded Hermione of the gothic kids from London. Only, he didn't wear eyeliner. "Hey, Oz," she smiled, making room for him to sit next to her on the opened blanket. "What are you doing out here?"

"Faith and Spike are arguing again about something that happened in Sunnydale. I miss all my friends, but I don't miss the arguments," Oz told her while sitting down.

"Ahh," Hermione nodded her head, "I run away too when I hear them get into it about things that happened in LA. Faith is always pointing out how Spike was jealous of Angel."

"Well, now Spike's bringing up the time that Faith slept with Riley just to spite Buffy after she woke up from her coma. Reid and Ginny took off too. I think they went to the Gryffindor tower though."

"Was Tyler there?"

Oz nodded his head. "He and Luna went up to his room though. I think they're planning something."

"Oh," continuing to sit with her legs crossed, Hermione stared out at the Black Lake. She could see a couple of third year Hufflepuffs tickling the giant squid. "Did you talk to Willow since you got here?"

Oz nodded his head again. "I called her after Spike owled me. She was shocked to hear from me, but told me that Faith called her too. She knew that something was going on, and when she talked to Buffy, Buffy sort of filled her in on everything. I told her that I was going to fly out to London for a concert so our background story with Dumbledore would seem legit, and then I was going to come see you guys at Hogwarts. Willow and her girlfriend are willing to come if we need help, but I told them we were fine."

"I told Sanguini the same thing," Hermione sighed. "When Buffy found everything out she was willing to come to Hogwarts to help us, but I knew that Spike didn't want her here."

"It's not that I don't want to see Will," Oz told Hermione with a soft chuckle. "I moved on from her. I saw how happy she was with Tara, and when I heard what happened I almost went back to comfort her, but I knew she didn't need me. Seeing me would only make her feel worst. I mean, she sort of cheated on me with Tara, but after a while I realized she was in love. I hear how happy she is with Kennedy, and that's all I really want for her. I just don't want Willow to come here because I know she's still trying to control her magic. I'm afraid that if Voldemort senses her, he'll try to gain her on his side. Then you'll have a whole new war to fight."

Hermione nodded her head, and pushed her hair behind her ear. "Spike and Faith told me all about that. Willow had to come out to London, didn't she? Just so she could learn to control it, and turn back to light magic."

"Exactly. And Giles, he's getting old, man. He can't babysit her or Buffy forever."

Smiling when she heard Oz mention Giles, Hermione shook her head. "Cordelia used to always say that in LA. Do you keep in touch with any of them?"

"Not really. I mean they used to call me back in Sunnydale if they needed help with certain things, but other than that I only really talked to Xander. And he would only fill me in on important things, but we never kept in touch as friends. I didn't even know Spike was good until he owled me, which is also why I called Willow. I wanted to know if it was for real or if he was trying to recruit me to the dark side."

Tilting her head to side, Hermione smiled at the way Oz seemed to be fascinated while watching the giant squid. It's been a week since he first entered Hogwarts, and he was still amazed by everything around him. "I thought William was sort of evil when I first met him. I learned about him in school; him and Faith, and even Angel, so I was shocked when they sort of became overly protective of me after our first meeting. I don't know what would've happened to me without them in my life though. I might still be alive, but I think I would've been more focused on Harry's story instead of my own. My whole existence used to revolve around making sure Harry stayed out of trouble. Now I'm just trying to keep myself alive."

"And you're trying to keep your relationship status a secret," seeing the confused look that Hermione gave him, Oz smiled down at her. "I know all about you and a certain little blonde, Hermione. Spike likes to complain about it all the time, and I have very good hearing. I hear things just as well as Spike does; probably even better than him actually. Not to mention, he's been watching us for the past ten minutes."

Lifting her head in the direction that Oz was nodding to, Hermione saw that Draco had in fact been staring at them. He wasn't even bothering to hide it. Scowling at the boy who seemed to always be pissing her off lately, Hermione jumped to her feet. "I need to head into the Great Hall anyway, Oz. We have Apparition lessons starting today. Thanks for the talk though. I'll see you in the tower later."

"See you around, Hermione," Oz grinned, looking from her to Draco, while shaking his head.

Entering the Great Hall by herself, Hermione saw Harry and Ron standing with Lavender and the Patil twins. Rolling her eyes, she walked off to the side of Seamus and Neville. Draco walked in not too long after, followed by his own group of friends, and Reid came in right after them. Waving her hand for Reid to stand by her, Hermione looked up at the front where the professors were standing. There was McGonagall, Sprout, Flitwick, and Snape, and a small little wizard that Hermione assumed was the Apparition instructor. He was oddly colorless with transparent eyelashes, wispy hair, and looked as if a single gust of wind would blow him away. He was creepy to look at.

"Good morning," the wizard greeted all of them. "My name is Wilkie Twycross, and I shall be your Ministry Apparition instructor for the next twelve weeks. I hope to be able to prepare you for your Apparition tests in time-"

"Malfoy, be quiet and pay attention!" McGonagall barked.

Turning her head to stare at Draco, along with everyone else, Hermione noticed that instead of standing with his usual group of friends, he had been standing with Crabbe instead. They seemed to be arguing about something. Turning a dull pink shade, Draco glared at Crabbe then stepped away from him. His eyes met Hermione's, and the scowl deepened as if it was her fault that he was arguing with one of his old friends. Hermione refused to look away from him. She didn't care if he tried to set her on fire with his eyes, she did nothing wrong and didn't deserve the look that he was giving her. Hearing her name being whispered from her side, Hermione ignored it until Draco finally looked away from her. His attention was soon on the Ministry wizard, and Hermione allowed her head to turn to Reid who had been trying to gain her attention for the past minute.

"We need to move somewhere away from people," Reid told her. "We need to space ourselves out so that we have a space of five feet in front of us."

Nodding her head, Hermione stood between Reid and Blaise, who somehow found his way towards them. "Apparating isn't allowed in Hogwarts," Hermione said blankly. "How is this possible?"

Looking around to make sure no one could hear them, Blaise leaned in towards her. "If you were paying attention to the instructor instead of eye-shagging Draco, you would know."

Blushing at the smirk on Blaise's face as he pulled away from her before anyone could see him talking to her, Hermione looked over at Reid who was chuckling. "Dumbledore lifted the enchantment for an hour so we can practice."

"Oh no!"

Hearing Blaise's muttered words, Hermione and Reid both turned around to see Harry standing right behind Draco and Crabbe. Draco didn't seem to notice him, and shouted at Crabbe, "I don't know how much longer, alright? It's taking longer than I thought it would."

"Fuck!" Hermione muttered underneath her breath. Deciding she needed to act quickly or Harry would find out more than he should, Hermione made her way towards them. Lowering her head to stare at the ground, she felt herself walk completely into somebody; nearly falling to the ground. By the familiarity of the body against hers, Hermione knew it was Draco that she walked into. "Umph!" she grunted.

"Watch where you're going, Mudblood!" Draco snarled at her, allowing her body to sway as it tried to balance itself.

Before she had a chance to retort, Harry was already reaching out to catch her. "Merlin, Malfoy, don't be such a prick! Are you okay, Hermione?"

"Yeah."

Draco's eyes widened a bit as he realized Harry was standing right behind him during his argument, and he lowered his gaze to Hermione who avoided his eyes. "Whatever!" Draco growled, moving away from all of them, and standing in the spot between his brother and Blaise.

"Damn," Harry hissed when Draco walked away, "I almost found out what he was up to."

"Oh, sorry, Harry," Hermione bit her lip, pretending to feel guilty for ruining Harry's plans. "I wasn't watching where I was walking while looking for a spot to stand in."

"It's alright, Hermione," Harry smiled at her, rubbing her shoulder to assure her that he wasn't mad at her for getting in the way. "Are you sure you're okay though? That looked like a hard thud when you walked into him."

Nodding her head, Hermione stood next to Harry and caught a quick glance of Draco looking back at her while Reid told him something. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Remembering what Twycross told them to focus on, Hermione tried to think of the three words as a mantra: _Destination, Determination, Deliberation… Destination, Determination, Deliberation… Destination, Determination, Deliberation… Destination, Determination, Horcrux… Draco, Determination, Deliberation… Destination, Draco, Delibraco… Draco, Draco, Draco… Draco, Draco, Draco… Draco, Draco, Draco… Draco, Draco, Draco…_

"-THREE!"

Hermione spun on the spot, lost her balance, but felt something tugging inside of her. Feeling herself sort of fall onto something, she heard a human grunting sound, and was nervous to open her eyes. Expecting to see that she fell on Harry or Susan who stood on either side of her, Hermione was shocked to hear, "Bloody hell, Granger!"

Opening her eyes once she heard _his_ voice beneath her, Hermione felt her cheeks flushing with heat. "Sweetheart!" allowing the chuckling Reid to pull her off of a stunned Draco Malfoy, Hermione saw everyone in the Great Hall staring at her with wide eyes.

"Excellent!" Twycross shouted with pride. "One of your classmates has managed to not only apparate, but she did so from a fifteen foot distance. What is your name, dear?"

Seeing half of the Great Hall laying on the ground, or still standing and looking confused, Hermione realized that she was in fact the only person who managed to apparate on her first try. Just too bad she had to apparate on top of Draco, who was only now starting to stand up. He was trying to glare at her without looking too amused. "H-Hermione Granger," she said softly, just wanting to curl up and die.

"Excellent! Now let's see if we can all get somewhere today, like Miss Granger did. Of course, I'd prefer if you landed in your hoop instead of on another student. You need to focus next time, dear."

Nodding her head, Hermione refused to look back at Draco and made her way to Harry. "How did you do that?" Harry asked her.

Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "_Destination, Determination, Deliberation…_"

As they continued to practice everyone kept looking back at Hermione to see if she managed to land on top of anyone else, but she barely managed to land inside of her hoop. Aggravated with how she allowed Draco to be inside of her mind when she should have been concentrating instead, Hermione almost didn't want to succeed – she wanted everyone to think that it was such a huge mistake. There was nobody who seemed able to move at all except for Hermione though, not until about half an hour into it.

Hearing the horrible scream coming from next to her, Hermione paled at what she saw. Susan Bones was wobbling inside of her hoop, while her left leg remained five feet behind her. All four Heads of Houses quickly ran to her. There was a loud bang, a puff of purple smoke, and they saw Susan reunited with her leg, but sobbing and looking horrified. "Splinching, or the separation of random body parts," Twycross said dispassionately. "It occurs when the mind is insufficiently _determined_. You must concentrate continuously upon your _determination_ and move, without haste, but with _deliberation_… thus."

The lessons continued, but aside from Hermione landing on top of Draco, and Susan splinching herself, nothing exciting happened. No one else managed to get it right, or even slightly right. When they were all dismissed, Ron ran up to Hermione and Harry; leaving Lavender looking annoyed with Parvati. Harry didn't say anything to them though. He only grabbed their hands, and ran directly to Gryffindor tower with them both in tow. Reid looked for Hermione, but barely caught a glimpse of her hair as she was pulled away.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked, sitting on the edge of Dean's bed, where Harry shoved both her and Ron.

Digging through his trunk, Harry shook his head. "I heard Malfoy talking to Crabbe earlier. He's up to something, and he isn't done with it yet. It's taking longer than expected."

_That's because he can't find the courage to kill anyone_, Hermione thought bitterly, but folded her arms in her lap. "And what are you looking to find?"

"This!" Harry grinned, pulling the Marauders Map out. "_I solemnly swear that I am up to no good_…or Malfoy is anyway."

Paling at the thought of forgetting that the bloody map even existed, Hermione started to sweat. What if Harry started looking at it all the time now, and saw Reid with Faith, or her with Draco? What if he saw that she was secretly meeting with Snape all of the time now? How the hell could she have forgotten about that bloody thing? Her secret could have been out for months now…

"Help me look for Malfoy," Harry said, running over to them and putting the map between all of them.

Praying that Draco was in his room, or in the loo or something, Hermione quickly searched for his name. "There!" Ron suddenly shouted. "He's in the Slytherin common room, see… he's with Parkinson, Nott, and Zabini."

Not wanting to sigh loudly with relief, Hermione groaned when she heard the disappointment in Harry's voice. "Well, I don't trust him. I know he's up to something. And I'm going to keep an eye on him until I catch him in action. The moment I see him with Crabbe at all, I'm going to bust them."

The next couple of days were filled with talk of the lessons. Faith, Tyler, Ginny, Luna, Reid, and even Spike and Oz teased Hermione every chance that they had for landing on top of Draco. And thanks to Faith, Hermione knew that Draco was constantly being teased by his own friends because of it as well. In the beginning Hermione blushed, but she was over it now. Staying back in DADA one day, Hermione told her two professors to meet her in the tower, then she quickly ran as fast as she could. How could she be forgetting things as soon as it happens?

"I just realized something," she told all of them. Seeing everyone gathered around and waiting for information from her, Hermione grinned. "Crabbe and Goyle are two of the Death Eaters we need to look out for. Harry heard Draco and Crabbe arguing about something not being finished yet. Crabbe knows about the task from Voldemort, and he's one of the ones being ordered to watch over him."

"It makes sense," Reid nodded his head. "Draco's usually always with Blaise, Theo, and Pansy. So when he's with Crabbe and Goyle, they're working on the task for Voldemort."

"But that also means we need to be more careful from now on," Ginny pointed out to them. "Harry's watching that map like McGonagall watched Fred and George. If Draco gets caught by Harry, our plans will all be ruined."

"What plans?" Hermione scoffed. "We don't have anything yet, guys. Eve hasn't gotten back to us about anything yet, we can't get a hold of Remus for Oz to start secretly training him, and Dumbledore is always gone again."

Snape looked annoyed. "I may have information about the Horcruxes," when everyone turned to look at him, he shook his head. "I do not know what it is just yet. But I do know that the ring was one of them. It has been destroyed, however."

"By Albus?" questioned Oz. When Snape nodded his head, Oz stood up. "It looks like I might have a job for Giles. Now that you mention it, I think I might know what a Horcrux is. Let me owl him to find out for sure though. Just for clarification though, what are we planning on doing once we find out what a Horcrux is?"

Seeing that everyone was staring at her for confirmation, Hermione took in a deep breath. "Then we prepare to go to war."

Valentine's Day was the first sunny day of the month, and Hermione woke up to a bed full of roses. Grinning at the idea of someone sneaking into her room while she was sleeping to do so, she was also nervous. She knew only one person who would be stupid enough to do so, and she really prayed that it wasn't him. Hearing the squeal from the bed next to hers, Hermione opened her bed's curtains to find Lavender holding a stuffed teddy to her chest with a rose in its hands. Lavender turned to her to sneer at being alone on the holiday of love, but instead cried when she saw the state of Hermione's bed.

"Who's your Valentine, Hermione?" Lavender gawked.

Grinning, Hermione stood up and used her wand to gather all of the pink, white, and red roses into a crystal vase next to her bed. "I don't know," she shrugged her shoulders.

Already in a good mood because of the roses, Hermione quickly showered and changed into a pink colored halter styled dress. The dress tied around her neck and showed her cleavage line, not needing a bra at all, and it hugged her body until it reached her thighs where it flared into a crinkled skirt. The dress was light pink and had silver trimmings. Putting on a thin layer of silver eyeliner with pink eye shadow, Hermione replaced the earrings from Reid with a pair of pink heart shaped diamonds that she was given on her fifteenth birthday from Cordelia, and decided to leave her hair in neat curls that cascaded down her back. Hearing a tiny squeak sound from Lavender when she saw how Hermione looked, Hermione decided to be evil today and put on her Christmas heels from Sarah and Kate. Remembering that she was going into Hogsmeade with her friends, Hermione grabbed her purse then left her room.

"Whoa!" Harry and Ron both said when they saw her reach downstairs. "What happened to you?"

"I love Valentine's Day," Hermione grinned in a dreamish response.

"Since when?" Ron asked. "You usually hate it because you never have a date."

"Won Won!" Lavender cried, running into her boyfriend's arms. "I love the teddy bear and rose you gave me. I know that Hermione is your so-called friend, but you didn't have to feel guilty and give her three dozen roses on her bed. Or you could have at least left the thorns on."

Ron and Harry started to choke. "W-What?"

"I didn't," Ron shook his head. "Blimey, Hermione, who would give you three dozen roses?"

Not dropping her grin, or allowing her good mood to be ruined, Hermione simply shrugged her shoulders again. "I don't know. Harry, I was wondering, can I borrow something from your trunk today?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded his head, "You know where it is."

"Thanks."

Humming to herself while making her way into Harry's room, Hermione grinned when she saw that Reid's bed was already empty. Reid's bed was always empty. He was always sleeping in Faith's bed that's why. Digging through the trunk until she came across the map, Hermione found the name she was searching for then closed it back up and put it into her purse. Now she didn't have to worry about Harry being too damn nosy for his own good. Leaving the common room by herself, Hermione fingered the necklace from Draco around her neck. It was so confusing, and she was sure they were both bi-polar, but as much as they tried to stay away from each other it was like they couldn't.

Entering the loo that the girl was in, Hermione found herself staring at Pansy Parkinson. Pansy was dressed in black sweats, a green jumper, and washing her hands. "I thought you were better than this," Hermione said, leaning next to her against the sink.

"We don't all have dates for today, Granger," Pansy rolled her eyes.

"I don't have a date today," Hermione pointed out. "As you very well know, I am very much single."

"That's why you're dressed like that, and woke up with three dozen roses in your bed," Pansy rolled her eyes. "I don't have time for this."

"I know you don't," Hermione grinned. "Thanks for confirming it though. I had a suspicion the roses were from him."

"You both know that no matter how hard you both play, or how much you try to hate each other, it won't happen. He had the Weaslette help him put the roses in your room while you were sleeping. It seems like her brother wanted her help with Brown anyway."

"I know," Hermione sighed. "And he knows very well that doing things like that will only complicate things."

"His mind isn't all there, Granger. You of all people should know that."

"I do know that, Parkinson. Doesn't mean I like it. My mind isn't all there either, but I don't do things like that."

"We know," Pansy sighed. "Can I go now?"

"No," Hermione shook her head. "He came to me for help a while ago, and I'm going to help him. Only because I owe you for the earrings though. Just answer me one thing," Pansy cocked an eyebrow, and Hermione's voice lowered. "Do you really like Tyler, or is it all a ploy for Voldemort to bring Tyler to the dark side?"

"What?" Pansy's voice squeaked into a high octave, and her cheeks were as red as the Gryffindor colors.

Hermione smirked, "So it's genuine then. Perfect, c'mon."

Pansy tried to protest against Hermione, but the Gryffindor ignored her shrieks to be released, and continued to drag her by her hand until she reached the tower she was aiming for. It was still early so not many people saw them at all. Entering the portrait, Hermione smiled and waved at a confused Spike, amused Oz, and she called for Ginny and Luna to follow them. Reaching Faith's room, she didn't bother to knock on the door at all. Rolling her eyes when she saw the sleeping couple, Hermione finally released the scared Pansy, and jumped onto the bed.

"WAKE UP!" she shouted in both of their faces. When Reid rolled off the bed and Faith jumped up to stab somebody, Hermione grinned. "I have Pansy here, Faith. We don't have much time before we send her off to Hogsmeade."

"What?" rubbing her eyes until Pansy came into full focus, Faith jumped off the bed; not caring that she was wearing only a pair of knickers and a tank-top. "Oh, shit, we don't have much time. Doll Face, did you bring your makeup?" Hermione nodded her head. "Babe, you need to get out of here. Don't let Ty know that we have Pansy with us. Tell Spike and Oz not to say anything either. We'll meet you guys in Hogsmeade at ten."

Still half asleep, Reid muttered, "Ashakjalkhd," then left the room with a yawn.

"Well, c'mon now Pansy," Faith told the confused and still scared Slytherin, "Strip."

Faith decided that she didn't care what anyone thought, or if it ruined their whole plan, but this was her first Valentine's Day with a boyfriend who actually loved her and didn't only want sex, so she was determined to spend it in public with Reid. Snape admitted that it might help them more than anything, by making it look like Faith was attempting to bring Reid over to the Death Eaters, which would help with Draco's favor, and Draco had nothing against it because he didn't really want to spend this particular day with Faith anyway. The girls, however, had another plan. They were finally going to get Pansy and Tyler together. Aside from it looking like Pansy was bringing a Son over to the Death Eaters, the two of them could finally get their feelings out in the open with each other. Hermione was already looking forward to this day because of her friends finally being able to be happy, but thanks to Ginny helping Draco sneak the roses into her room and onto her bed, Hermione was flying over the moon.

Faith approved of the lacy green knickers that Pansy wore with the matching bra, and she forced Pansy into a red strapless dress made of leather. At first Pansy argued with the idea of being forced into red, but when she had it on her she couldn't stop grinning at her own reflection in the mirror. The dress was tight, and reached her thighs, but it was a deep crimson color; making the milk colored skin and raven colored hair look exotic in every way. Because the dress was strapless, Hermione transfigured Pansy's bra to hide the straps, and the zipper on the back of the dress gave it an even sexier look. Ginny and Luna got to work with Pansy's hair; not that the straight locks needed any work done on it. They decided to keep it simple and down, but put up only the top half into a sort of braided bun that had the ends cascading into the rest of it. Faith gave Pansy a pair of silver hearted earrings to borrow, and Hermione worked on putting a layer of black eyeliner to work with the cat-shaped eyes, while allowing the light shade of red eye shadow to accentuate the jade colored eyes. With a pair of red heels that covered her toes, but added five inches to her height, Pansy was ready for her surprise date with a clueless Tyler.

It took half an hour more, but soon Faith, Ginny, and even Luna were all ready to leave to Hogsmeade. They knew that the rumors would all start today, and one of two things could happen: Pansy stop hanging out with her friends so she could be with Tyler and Hermione them, or Tyler stop hanging out with his friends so he could be with Pansy and her friends. Somebody was losing a member of their group today, and both sides were ready for it.

"I see them," Ginny grinned to the large group of girls. "Are you ready for this, Pansy?"

Peeking into The Three Broomsticks, Pansy saw Tyler sitting and facing the window. He had his head down, but she saw how his red collared shirt seemed to match her dress, and how he even wore a silver tie with black dress pants. His hair was brushed neatly back, and he looked as hot as she always thought he was. "Yeah," Pansy gulped, slowly nodding her head.

Grinning, Faith took one of Pansy's hands into hers. "Let's go girls."

Reid and Tyler were drinking a bottle of butterbeer and laughing about something that the girls couldn't hear, but it all fell silent when Tyler's eyes met Pansy's. "Hey," Pansy smiled nervously.

"H-Hi," Tyler stuttered.

Grinning, Reid stood up and kissed his girlfriend for all to see. "Surprise!" he grinned down at his brother.

"This is why you woke me up super early and forced me into these clothes?" when Reid nodded his head, Tyler fondly shook his. "You were forced into this as well, I'm presuming?"

"Sort of," Pansy nodded her head. "I was kidnapped by Hermione, then they all played dress up with me. If you want me to leave though-"

"NO!" blushing when he earned more attention, Tyler softly said, "Err, I mean… no, don't leave. I want you to stay."

"Okay," biting on her lower lip, Pansy felt her heart flutter when Tyler stepped out of the booth so she could sit on the inside.

"I'll go get you a drink," Tyler grinned, still blushing. "What do you want?"

"A butterbeer please."

"I'll go with you," Reid told Tyler. "What 'bout you guys?"

Faith, Ginny, and Luna all nodded their heads for a butterbeer, but Hermione caught a quick glance of Draco entering Hogsmeade. "Erm… actually," she told her friends, "I'll catch up with you guys later. I have something I need to do."

"Sweetheart," Reid caught Hermione's arm before she could escape, "If you two keep doing this, the final battle will only become harder for you both."

Hermione nodded her head to show that she understood, "I know, Reid, but it's Valentine's Day."

Everyone sitting at the table looked at Reid, and he saw the pleading look in Hermione's eyes while she chewed on her bottom lip and rocked on her heels. Sighing, he released her. "Fine, but just be careful, Sweetheart. He's hurt you enough."

**A/N: Review please! I love reviews! They make me squeal with joy! I had an extra 5 pages typed out, but deleted it because I didn't like the idea of Snape catching Draco with Hermione on his new desk (spoiler alert, I know) so while I decide on how to write what's going to happen when Hermione catches up to Draco, I'm going to upload this for now. Tis still a long chapter, and wayyyyyyyyy better than last chapter(: so please review… review… review… I miss getting those!**


	19. A Day In Paradise

**If any of you live in San Diego, or California, or if you watch the news that has to do with San Diego then it sort of explains why I've been missing for a while – again! I want you guys to be warned that my mind isn't all here right now… I didn't start this chapter, because the night that I was planning on writing it I got horrible news that my aunty was stabbed to death by her husband, so I literally only wrote this chapter tonight! Usually, I don't like to write chapters for my stories when my mind is in another world (as you all have learned by now) but I decided I owe it to all of you to at least try. So I'm writing this little note before I write out this chapter, and I hope you can all forgive me if it seems a little output from the rest of the story! It will consist of the Valentine's Day in Hogsmeade, but it's nothing compared to what I originally had planned for it!**

**I hope those of you that live where Hurricane Sandy hit are safe, and if any of your family members are in those areas, I want you guys to all know that you're in my thoughts and wishes!**

**I dedicate this sappy chapter filled with love and happiness to my Aunty Heather Rosa; the sweetest woman I had ever known!**

A Day In Paradise

_Reid and Tyler were drinking a bottle of butterbeer and laughing about something that the girls couldn't hear, but it all fell silent when Tyler's eyes met Pansy's. "Hey," Pansy smiled nervously._

_ "H-Hi," Tyler stuttered._

_ Grinning, Reid stood up and kissed his girlfriend for all to see. "Surprise!" he grinned down at his brother._

_ "This is why you woke me up super early and forced me into these clothes?" when Reid nodded his head, Tyler fondly shook his. "You were forced into this as well, I'm presuming?"_

_ "Sort of," Pansy nodded her head. "I was kidnapped by Hermione, then they all played dress up with me. If you want me to leave though-"_

_ "NO!" blushing when he earned more attention, Tyler softly said, "Err, I mean… no, don't leave. I want you to stay."_

_ "Okay," biting on her lower lip, Pansy felt her heart flutter when Tyler stepped out of the booth so she could sit on the inside._

_ "I'll go get you a drink," Tyler grinned, still blushing. "What do you want?"_

_ "A butterbeer please."_

_ "I'll go with you," Reid told Tyler. "What 'bout you guys?"_

_ Faith, Ginny, and Luna all nodded their heads for a butterbeer, but Hermione caught a quick glance of Draco entering Hogsmeade. "Erm… actually," she told her friends, "I'll catch up with you guys later. I have something I need to do."_

_ "Sweetheart," Reid caught Hermione's arm before she could escape, "If you two keep doing this, the final battle will only become harder for you both."_

_ Hermione nodded her head to show that she understood, "I know, Reid, but it's Valentine's Day."_

_ Everyone sitting at the table looked at Reid, and he saw the pleading look in Hermione's eyes while she chewed on her bottom lip and rocked on her heels. Sighing, he released her. "Fine, but just be careful, Sweetheart. He's hurt you enough."_

Trying not to draw attention while walking at a sort of half-jog pace, Hermione watched as Draco turned a corner past one of the shops. Not wanting to be obvious that she was following him while in the middle of a very open, and very crowded, village, Hermione debated on whether she wanted to pull the map back out to see him or not. Trying to rack her brain if Harry mentioned anything about the map showing Hogsmeade as well as Hogwarts, Hermione wasn't paying attention to where she was going and bumped right into an invisible person.

"Ouch," she grunted, rubbing her chest where it was now slightly aching, "Bloody hell, Harry."

Slowly Harry's face then body started to emerge. In his hands was the invisibility cloak, which most likely would have just shown Harry that his best friend once had a secret affair with the enemy. "Sorry, Hermione," he sheepishly began to rub his own chest. "I was too busy watching Malfoy that I didn't notice anybody around me. Are you okay?"

Narrowing her eyes at the cloak that was beginning to become a nuisance, Hermione nodded her head. "Yeah, I'm fine. What are you doing here? I figured you would have been with Won-Won and Lavender?"

"I thought you and Ron were friends again?"

"Doesn't mean I can't laugh at his name," she smirked. When Harry gave her a confused look though, Hermione quickly gave him a blank stare. "So, why are you following Malfoy?"

"I was hoping that he could sort of lead me to whatever he's planning," Harry admitted with a sigh.

"I thought Dumbledore wanted you to suck up to Slughorn?" Hermione questioned. "Why don't you use today to your advantage? I mean, if Ron is busy with Lavender, and you have nothing better to do than spy on Malfoy, why don't you try and get more information from Slughorn?"

"Well…" Harry turned a bright shade of red and began to scratch his neck. "… I was sort of… err… well, what are you doing today?"

Feeling her cheeks turn the same shade as Harry's, Hermione began to finger the necklace around her neck once more. "Well, I…"

"Who gave you those roses this morning?" Harry asked her. Hermione began to stutter again, and Harry gave her another confused look. He definitely wasn't used to this whole girly side of his best friend. "Are you meeting up with anybody?"

"Well, see Harry, the thing is-"

Luckily though, Hermione was saved from answering Harry's question by Ron and Lavender approaching them. "Oh, how fun," Lavender sneered, "Hermione and Harry are joining us today."

"No," Hermione quickly shook her head, "Harry has something he needs to do back up at Hogwarts, and-"

Ron cut her off. "Well, don't worry then Hermione, you can hang out with me and Lavender."

Holding back her snicker when she saw Lavender narrow her eyes at Ron's offer, Hermione quickly shook her head, "No, it's fine. I wouldn't want to intrude. Besides, I'm meeting up with someone."

"Oh, really?" Ron asked. It was obvious that he didn't believe her. "Who?"

Glancing around Hogsmeade, Hermione tried to think of someone that she could throw herself at, but instead she caught Draco's blonde hair now walking down towards the Shrieking Shack. "A friend," she blushed. Ignoring both Ron's sputters of disbelief, and Lavender's annoying questions, Hermione started to pull Harry away from them. "Hey, Harry, do you think I could borrow the cloak, since you're going up to the school?"

"Well, I guess now I have to go to the school," Harry sighed. "You know, Hermione, it's alright to be alone on Valentine's Day. I mean, I'm alone today too."

Catching the longing look in Harry's eyes, Hermione tried not to roll hers. They needed to find him somebody to move on to, and quickly, before he tried to approach Ginny. "Harry, I wasn't lying," she told him. As much as she didn't want Harry or Ron to find out about her and Draco, Hermione still hated the idea that they both thought she would never have anyone other than them, "I am meeting up with someone."

"Oh," Harry looked up at her, and Hermione made sure to blank her mind out. It wasn't as if Snape's teaching taught him anything, but she didn't want to chance the small idea of Harry being able to look into her mind. "So, you weren't lying, then?" as soon as the question left his mouth though, Harry quickly looked down at the outfit Hermione was wearing, and he blushed. "I mean, of course you weren't lying. Wow, Hermione, I guess I've just been so busy with this whole Dumbledore thing that I haven't really been paying you any attention."

"It's alright, Harry," she smiled. Reaching out both of her hands, Hermione grabbed onto his, "We've all been busy lately. But I really do need to go right now, so is it alright if I borrow the cloak?"

It must have shown just how much trust he had for Hermione, and her judgment, that Harry didn't even question why she needed to use his invisibility cloak; the same way that he didn't question her when she asked to borrow the map in the morning. He didn't even bother to ask which item she wanted to borrow earlier that morning – he just simply nodded his head and told her that she knew where to find it. "I'll see you later, then," Harry smiled, giving Hermione's hand one quick squeeze before turning and walking back up to the school.

Slipping the cloak on when she was sure that no one was watching her, Hermione felt inside of her purse to make sure that the item was still there. It was the same gift that she wanted to give Draco on their sixth month anniversary, then she debated on giving it to him for Christmas, but now – now she would definitely give it to him today. From the moment Draco broke up with her, she's kept it in her trunk. Since the night that he kissed her after the Christmas party, however, she moved it into her purse so that she could always have it with her. It was still wrapped in the same silver wrapping paper and crimson colored ribbons from when she first wrapped it up for their anniversary, and the wrapping did look a bit worn from when she would constantly hold it in her hands, but it hadn't been opened yet. Making sure to erase her footprints just in case Harry decided to play the protective role today, and follow her to make sure she wasn't in any danger, Hermione moved towards the Shrieking Shack.

"What the hell?"

Grinning to herself at Draco's jumpy reaction when he felt her rub her shoulder against his in a quick passing, Hermione stood right in front of him. His vision of the reportedly haunted building would have been replaced with her pink cheeks and her wide grin if she weren't wearing the cloak, but Draco could only see the broken down shack. "Thank you for the roses," Hermione whispered right in front of his lips.

Draco's face twisted into confusion, but it slowly began to turn into a smirk, "Does Potter know you have his cloak?"

Giggling as she jumped out of the way just as Draco reached forward to yank the cloak off of her, Hermione now stood to his side. "I caught him while he was following you here," dodging Draco's hands once more, Hermione was having fun trying to avoid being caught. Her voice was the only thing allowing Draco to know where she was. "I convinced him I needed it more than he did," so she sort of tricked Harry into giving it to her… Draco didn't need to know all the details.

Glancing around to make sure that there were no students around to see him trying to catch air, Draco grinned while following the sounds of Hermione's giggles. "Does anybody know about the roses?" he asked, standing still and waiting for her response.

Moving as swiftly as she could, Hermione positioned herself directly behind him. Not having to stand on her toes, thanks to the five inch heels, Hermione whispered into his ear. "Lavender blabbed to the whole house."

Draco chuckled. He had been hoping that the gossip girl of Hogwarts would see the roses. At least now there would be a rumor that Hermione was seeing someone. "And what did Potter and Weasley say about it?"

"Do you really want to talk about Harry and Ron?" Hermione chuckled back. Pressing her chest to his back, she allowed her fingers to link together against Draco's chest. "Or would you rather have a day where we don't fight or think about the future?"

Smiling, Draco allowed himself to settle against Hermione. His body shuddered at the feeling of her outfit. "One day to relive the past?"

Hermione nodded her head on his shoulder. Pressing her lips to his cheek, she grinned against his heated skin. "One day of just you and me."

"Why?"

She could hear the hesitation in his voice. Draco wanted this just as much as she did, but he had his doubts. "Because it's Valentine's Day," Hermione smiled, allowing him to feel the curve of her lips, "And I want to remember it with you."

"And tomorrow?"

Frowning now, Hermione allowed her head to rest completely on Draco's shoulder. She knew he couldn't see her, even though she was pressed tightly against him, but she could see him. The hope and desperation in his eyes mirrored her own. "We go back to reality."

"So one day of happiness," Draco sighed. "And then another year of hatred."

Hermione nodded her head. "One day of happiness, and then another year of pretending."

"Alright," Draco smiled now. It was a small smile, but it was a smile nonetheless, "I'll give you this one day."

"And you?" she asked him. "Do you not want this one day?"

"I want more than one day," Draco sighed in disappointment. "But for now, I'll be content with just today."

"Today, we live in paradise," Hermione sadly sighed. Moving her body so that she was now holding onto Draco from the front, she pressed her lips to his. "Follow me."

Making it known that most of the Gryffindors knew about Harry's invisibility cloak, Hermione drilled the notion into Draco's head that he couldn't hold her hand while walking through Hogsmeade. They couldn't do anything that would draw any attention whatsoever to Draco being with someone other than himself, and it wasn't as if he could walk around freely with Hermione's hand in his. Not wanting to stand in front of the Shrieking Shack anymore though, Hermione became content with holding onto Draco from behind. When he pointed out that it would look weird if he sort of dragged a person with him, Hermione came up with a better idea. Whispering to Draco that she would meet him in Honeydukes, Hermione decided it would be more fun to watch from next to him as he tried to figure out where she was. Harry had this cloak to do whatever he wanted with it, but he always chose to save the day instead. Who would've thought that Hermione Granger, of all people, would be the one having more fun teasing people with an invisibility cloak?

Enjoying the little looks of annoyance every time she would sneak up on him, and brush her hand against his, Hermione tried not to giggle at Draco's obvious impatience. Before they reached Honeydukes though, they ran into some company. "Pansy?" Draco's eyes were wide.

Smiling shyly, Pansy bit her bottom lip while glancing down at where her fingers were linked into Tyler's. "Hey, Draco," she sort of waved at him.

"Leather, Pans?"

Glancing around to make sure that no one could hear her, Pansy grinned. "It was Hermione's idea."

"Really?" Draco was smirking now. Of course it was Hermione's idea. She's been wearing leather almost as if it was back in style. "And this whole date thing?"

Faith chuckled from next to Pansy. Her own fingers were linked into Reid's, "Also Doll Face's idea. But neither of them are objecting to it."

"Of course they aren't," Draco was smiling genuinely now.

Pansy gave her best friend a confused look. "You mean you aren't worried about the rest of Slytherin?"

Feeling Hermione's hand brush against his lower back, Draco chuckled and shook his head, "It's Valentine's Day, Pans. We'll worry about reality tomorrow."

"You sound like the Sweetheart," Reid suddenly said. Raising one of his eyebrows, he began to scan the area. "Did she find you?"

Quietly giggling to herself, Hermione slowly crept up to Reid. Moving onto the side of him that Faith was not standing by, Hermione began to drag her fingers up and down his arm. "Boo!"

Jumping in shock, Reid glared in her direction. Hearing the giggles in the wind, and seeing the way his little brother laughed at him, Reid frowned. "Not funny, Sweetheart."

"Yes it was," Hermione replied back.

Faith was laughing as well. "So, you got the cloak from Harry, I see."

"Yep," Hermione grinned, although no one could see it. "Where's Ginny and Luna?"

"Back in the Three Broomsticks," Tyler replied, making it look like he was talking to Draco. "Where are you two headed?"

"Over to Honeydukes to buy some sweets," Draco replied. He looked around to make sure that no one saw him being too friendly, but then stopped. It was only Faith and Pansy – two of his friends – with two of the Sons. If anything, the spies for Voldemort would think he was doing his job.

"Then I'm taking him to the tower," Hermione whispered to Faith. "Do you know if William's in there?"

Shaking her head, Faith made it look like she was talking to Reid. "Spike stopped by the Three Broomsticks. He had some business to attend to."

"And…" Hermione trailed off, not wanting to mention Snape in front of Draco and Pansy.

Reid was the one who shook his head this time, "Nope. Oz is the only one in there. I'm sure when you two show up though, he'll leave to give you guys privacy."

Catching the hint in Reid's voice, that told her that Oz would alert Snape to not show up, Hermione sighed with relief. "Well, we'll let you four go now."

Hermione's giggle was lost in the wind when she saw the annoyance on Draco's face once again. The entire time they were in Honeydukes, she was enjoying sneaking pinches on his arse or brushes against the front of his jeans every time he was staring intently at a piece of sweet, or when he was talking to one of his housemates. The best moment was when Daphne Greengrass approached Draco to ask if he knew if Professor Pratt would like bloodpops or not, and Hermione decided to lean forward and run her fingers up and down his chest. By the time he left the sweets shop, some of Draco's friends thought he was running a fever; Daphne and Millicent even offering to walk him to Madam Pomfrey.

"That was not funny," Draco hissed.

Hermione giggled again. "This cloak is so much fun. I wonder if Harry even knows all the fun he could have with it."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Just because you did that to me, I'm going to sit down with Theo and Blaise, and enjoy a mug of butterbeer."

Peeking inside of the Three Broomsticks, Hermione grinned to herself. No wonder her two friends decided to stay inside the pub while the others left. Ginny and Luna were situated so that they were sitting and facing Theo and Blaise on the opposite side. "Okay."

Draco stopped walking. The incredulous look on his face showed that he was only teasing her, and didn't expect Hermione to approve of this, "What do you mean, okay?"

"I'm going to have a butterbeer with Ginny and Luna. I'll be back."

Draco started to ask Hermione what she meant by she'll be back, and tell her that he was only joking, but soon he saw the footprints disappearing into the crowd. Rolling his eyes, he decided it would be best to not wait for her. What would Hogwarts say if Draco Malfoy got caught holding a door open for Hermione Granger? Stepping into the semi-crowded pub, Draco caught the wary looks coming from Ginny and Luna. Smirking at them when they started to search for their friend, Draco ordered a butterbeer for himself then sat down next to his two friends. Theo and Blaise were both blushing, but they greeted him nonetheless. He was just about to ask them what was happening, when the door opened up and some of the seventh year boys were heard gasping. Lifting his head, Draco nearly choked when he saw Hermione. No wonder she felt as if she were hardly dressed when she pressed up against him.

Making sure the cloak was hidden inside of her purse, Hermione sat down next to her friends. Ginny looked back across the pub and smirked at Draco this time, while he continued to blatantly stare at Hermione. "Here you go, dear."

Looking up at Madam Rosmerta, Hermione smiled. "Thanks, Rosmerta."

Shaking her head at the two galleons that Hermione was handing her, the barmaid grinned. "No, love. This is courtesy of your friend over there."

Looking up at the bar, Hermione frowned when she saw McLaggen waving a tankard of mead in her direction. "Well, you can give these to him then," Hermione scowled.

"Very well," Rosmerta chuckled.

Ginny looked back and forth between a now scowling McLaggen, a smug Hermione, and an annoyed Draco, "What was that all about?" she questioned in confusion.

"That was me turning down a drink from the world's biggest git," Hermione sighed sipping her beer. "So how are your dates going?"

Luna turned a bright shade of red, and Ginny stared down at the floor. "Don't know what you're talking about."

Grinning, Hermione pointed at the box of chocolates in front of each girl. "Sure, and I didn't wake up to a bed full of roses this morning."

"That was romantic," Ginny sighed in a voice close to Luna's. "He approached me last night when Tyler was walking me back to Gryffindor tower."

Giggling, Hermione glanced over at the table with the three Slytherin friends, and she bit her bottom lip at the way Draco ran his hands through his already dis-shelved hair. "Do you think we should be doing this?"

"No," Ginny shook her head, "We know we shouldn't be doing this."

Sighing, Luna nodded her head in agreement with what her friend said. "But feeling this good, even if for only a day, makes the pain worth it for a while."

After a couple more minutes of sitting with her friends, Hermione told Ginny to go to the loo with her. Leaving Luna alone at the table, Hermione slipped on the cloak once inside of the loo, slipped out without being spotted, then approached Draco. Whispering to him the password to get inside of Faith's tower, Hermione told Draco to leave the Three Broomsticks ten minutes after her as to not draw any suspicion. Once back inside the loo, the two girls walked out together and sat back down. Finishing off her butterbeer, Hermione told her two friends goodbye then left for the school.

By the time she reached the tower, Hermione was relieved that she came by herself. Professor Snape was sitting on the couch and talking to Oz about something. "Hermione," Oz turned to her, "I thought you were going to be out all day?"

"Yes," Snape drawled. "Isn't today the day that I lose a snake to one of you?"

"Pansy and Tyler have been spotted all over Hogsmeade," Hermione nodded her head, "But we're not going to worry about that until tomorrow."

"And why are you back so early?" Oz asked.

"Because I have a date," Hermione blushed.

"Shouldn't you be in Hogsmeade for your date, Miss Granger?"

"Yes… no… well normally we would, but under these circumstances we can't be seen, you see, sir."

Oz chuckled while Snape paled. "Good, Merlin, girl, don't tell me that-"

Pulling out the map, Hermione looked down at it, and paled as well. "You need to leave, Professor. Draco's on his way already."

"Miss Granger, I thought that we agreed that-"

"It's Valentine's Day," Hermione said, interrupting the argument that she knew was about to take place.

Taking in the pleading voice, and the large doe like eyes, Snape stood up. Rolling his eyes, he nodded his head. "Very well… I'll stop by tomorrow afternoon."

Blushing once her professor left, Hermione ran up to one of the spare rooms. This tower held many rooms, but Hermione's never used any of them before. She always chose to sleep in Spike's room when she would sleep here, and she knew that Ginny and Luna often took to sleeping in Tyler's room. Reid was always sleeping in Faith's room, and since Oz came around, Luna sometimes was found sleeping in his room. Ginny felt an instant pull to Tyler because he was always drilling it into her mind that she needed to know how to physically protect herself, and although Luna was just as close to Tyler as Hermione was, she became really close to Oz when he arrived; it was something about him being a werewolf under control, and her just being really odd. Oz also sometimes compared Luna to Willow. Running into the room to make sure that it was clean, Hermione did something that she promised herself she would never do – she called a house-elf.

The bedspread was made up of everything lavender and dark purple, while the curtains were drawn open to allow in the sunlight. With the present on the edge of the bed for Draco, Hermione allowed Dobby to put the tray filled with sandwiches and bottles of butterbeer on a table replacing the desk. Asking for a bucket filled with bottles so that way she wouldn't have to call on him later, Hermione placed a cooling charm on them then pushed it off to the side. Hearing Oz talking to somebody, she quickly made her way back downstairs.

"Hey," Oz smiled at Hermione. "I feel compelled to leave, so you two can be alone, but I also cherish my life, and I knew Spike when he was evil, so I'd rather not have to deal with him when he finds out I left you two alone."

Rolling her eyes, Hermione noticed the way that Draco blushed. It was always such a beautiful sight to see him acting like a human. "I wasn't planning on kicking you out, Oz. We'll be upstairs anyway."

Oz nodded his head. "I'll be down here reading your Runes book. I'm determined to become a better witch than Willow."

Laughing, Hermione grabbed onto Draco's hand. "We'll be in the room across from yours if you need anything."

Oz nodded his head again then sat down. Hermione and Draco just reached the top stair when Oz shouted, "Oh, hey, do you know if Tyler's bringing Pansy back here later?"

"I don't know," Hermione shrugged her shoulders, "Maybe."

"What about Ginny and Luna, are they coming back later?"

"They're not on a real date with Theo and Blaise," Hermione smirked. "So, I honestly have no idea."

Grinning, Oz chuckled. "Got'cha!"

Entering the room, Hermione shut the door behind them. Refusing to feel embarrassed about her feelings, she walked over to the window and leaned against it, while Draco sat on the edge of the bed and carefully watched her. It seemed like he was still growing paler every time that she saw him, but in this moment he seemed to have some of his color back. Hermione smiled to herself at the idea of him gaining back his color by blushing so much today. Draco was dressed in his usual black dress slacks, and a powder blue colored tie over a silk white collared shirt. At least he wasn't in his usual black uniform today.

"Are you really going to wear those heels for the rest of the day?" Draco chuckled.

Looking down at the heels on her feet, Hermione also chuckled. "I was thinking about it. They were a gift from my friends."

"I didn't think Ginny and Luna had that sort of taste."

Hermione shook her head. "Not those friends."

Draco waited for Hermione to go into a deeper explanation, but when it didn't come he sighed. "Oh, right… your secret friends."

"Draco-"

"I know," he smiled, shaking his head, "Today is our happy day – our one day in paradise."

"I can take them off if you want," Hermione offered.

"Please do. Those heels aren't part of the Hermione that I fell in love with. If today is meant to be about us, then I want the real us. The us that we each fell in love with."

Blushing at the words that sent vibrations through her entire body, Hermione smiled across at him. "I always liked these types of heels."

"But you didn't start wearing them until you decided it would be fun to torture me," Draco grinned back with a teasing smirk. "Off with the heels, love."

Shuddering at the term of endearment from the boy who everyone claimed had no emotions, Hermione leaned against the window for support while she untied the straps of her heels, "Then off with your tie."

"I always use a tie," Draco rolled his eyes.

It was Hermione's turn to smirk now, "Yes, I know, but I loved you more when your tie was tossed onto the floor somewhere."

Chuckling, Draco removed the tie and flew it across the room. "Better, now?"

Hermione nodded her head, "Very much so."

"You look beautiful today, Hermione."

Hermione felt herself blushing again. "Thanks," she bit her bottom lip. "You're starting to look better yourself," seeing Draco's confusion, she added, "You've been pale lately."

"Oh."

Not wanting the mood to drop, Hermione suddenly walked across the room to the bed. Picking the wrapped present up, she held it out to Draco. "This is for you. I originally brought for our sixth month," she saw Draco look sort of deflated, "And then I was going to give it to you for Christmas, but I wasn't sure if I was ready to face you again. After you sent me this, though," Hermione tugged gently on the pendant around her neck, "I figured it was safe. I was going to owl it to you today, but when I woke up to the roses I knew I wanted to give it to you in person."

"You purposely dressed like this today, knowing you were going to spend it with me?"

Hermione was chewing on her bottom lip now, "Yeah?"

Chuckling, Draco shook his head. "I always said you'd be perfect in Slytherin."

Chuckling as well, Hermione continued to stand in front of the amused blonde. "It isn't anything really special. Not like this pendent, or three dozen roses, but I hope you like it anyway."

Reaching a hand out to give Hermione's hand a quick squeeze of comfort, Draco gently smiled up at her. It pained Hermione to see so much love in his eyes, and know that it could never work for them after this day. "I would love it even if it were a homemade card covered in frilly lace and swirly hearts," he assured her. "I would love anything if it came from you."

Hermione blushed again at Draco's words. Feeling her heart swell up at the thought of how happy they could be if only she was born of pure blood, Hermione nervously watched as Draco slowly opened the wrapping. It was as if he wanted to savor this moment just as much as she did, and that ripped wrapping would ruin the moment for them. After a minute, Draco pulled out a black velvet box. Looking up at Hermione, he could tell she was extremely nervous. Confused as to what could be inside the box, he opened it up and gasped. Inside of the box was a simple silver chain with a pendant on it. The pendant was also simple, but Draco could tell that it cost quite a lot of money, and that Hermione put a lot of thought into choosing it for him. It was a silver snake that curled up into the shape of two hearts. A red ruby met in the middle of it.

"I was going to get you an emerald instead of the ruby, but I wanted you to think of me every time you looked at it."

Grinning, Draco reached up and pulled Hermione closer to him so that she was standing right between his legs. He touched his fingertips to the emerald heart shaped teardrop she wore around her neck. "Just as I brought you this instead of your own house colors, so that you would think of me every time you looked at it."

Biting her lip again, Hermione smiled and nodded her head. "We were very selfish people when we brought our sixth month anniversary gifts."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I have every right to be jealous, especially when you dress like this on a daily basis just to drive me mental. Can you help me put this on?"

Hermione's eyes lit up. "Really, you want to wear it?"

"And I'll never take it off."

Taking the chain from Draco, Hermione leaned into him so that she could link the hook together at the back of his neck. Once the necklace was clasped into place, she pulled away and stared down at him. He stared back. Hearing every voice in the back of her head, Hermione shook all doubts away. Today was Valentine's Day. This was her one day of perfect happiness to be with Draco, without thinking of the consequences. As long as she was prepared for the depression and broken heart that would follow in the days after this, Hermione was going to take all the risks her heart begged her to.

Draco was caught off guard by the lips that suddenly connected to his, but he was quick to act. Wrapping his arms around Hermione's waist in pure instinct, he could feel his heart soaring as it finally felt complete again. Tasting the butterbeer and cinnamon, Draco allowed Hermione's tongue to dominate his. He knew that she loved to be in control, and he wouldn't get in the way of it. Hermione's hands were soon grasping onto his hair, and Draco could feel her hips pushing their way against his chest. Grinning against Hermione's lips, Draco pulled her down into his lap so that she was now sitting instead of standing. Hermione grinned as well, but neither of them pulled away from the kiss.

"Where is everybody?" Reid asked when he and Faith entered the common room of their tower.

Looking up from the book he was reading, Oz grinned. "Spike came back earlier, but left about two hours ago because he couldn't stand all the lovey dovey mushy stuff. Severus is trying to drown himself in his potions, Ginny and Luna are in Tyler's room with him, and Hermione and Draco are finally sleeping."

"Sleeping?" Faith quirked an eyebrow.

Oz nodded his head. "Hermione finally gave him that box that she's always carrying around with her. It's some sort of snake pendant thing, I guess. He told her he loved it, they had a long make out session, they ate some lunch, and they talked for a couple of hours. They made out a lot, but they talked even more. Hermione finally saw Draco's dark mark too, but she didn't freak out with it. Neither of them wanted to relive every part of their relationship, because they both feared that they wouldn't be able to survive waking up to reality if they took it that far."

Reid and Faith both sighed. "They still love each other, but they're both afraid they'll be too weak when the time for war finally comes," Oz nodded his head to Reid's statement. "Then why go through today only to suffer tomorrow?"

"You don't hear the whispers like I do," Oz told Reid. "You can see it in their faces, and you can listen to them, but you don't hear it like I do. Today was about forgetting about the war, and ignoring the future. Today was about loving each other, and assuring the other that they were still in love with them. Every day is filled with arguments, heated looks, and fights that they don't even know if it's real or fake anymore, but today – today was about just being reckless teens in love. They didn't have to hide today," Oz frowned. "Okay, well, they sort of did. But they were free to roam this tower without worrying if they would be caught. Hermione has the map and the cloak, so they didn't have to worry about Harry catching them. When Tyler, Ginny, and Luna all returned from Hogsmeade, Hermione didn't have to hide Draco from them; they went into the room and said hello to the happy couple. They're both ready to accept the pain, because for just one day they were allowed to be in love."

Leaving Faith with Oz, Reid went upstairs to check on his brother and Hermione. Quietly opening the bedroom door, Reid could feel the tears on his face when he saw the sight in front of him. With his shirt off, Draco was lying on the bed and using the pillows. Draco was on his back, and his hair was as messy as it's ever been. Hermione, still in her dress, was using Draco as her pillow. With her head on his chest, one arm sprawled over his lap while her legs were entwined with his, and her other arm sort of cradling Draco's head, Hermione's hair was sprawled in his face. It wasn't the sight of the sleeping couple that had Reid in tears though; it was the fact that with her arm over Draco's lap, Hermione's hand was resting on the dark mark that shone brightly through everything. It was the fact that even though Hermione had her hand touching Draco's dark mark, and even though they both fell asleep knowing this only complicated things, the young teens had such wide and carefree smiles on their faces. For the first since Lucius made it known that Reid wasn't his real brother, Draco looked relaxed. For the first time since learning that the Death Eaters were specifically targeting her, Hermione looked relaxed. For the first time, Reid was able to witness the two young teens being perfectly content and at ease.

He could see the love in their sleeping faces, even if only for a day.


	20. I'm Not Lily

**Just as promised, an update before Feb.1. Also, I have finally edited A Witch In LA, and the previous chapters to this story. I don't know what was wrong with me before, but there were so many 'to, too' 'there, their, they're' and 'then, than' mistakes, and just punctuation and spelling mistakes. It literally made me cringe while going over it. I also added some things in to the previous story and chapters, and deleted some things that I hadn't meant to put in. You guys may want to re-read it just in case. **

**Thank you guys for sticking with me for this long, and putting up with all of my personal problems. I think I'm just one of those bad-luck types of people, who has to like kiss a frog or rub a genie or something just to break the bad luck? Anywho, I am putting all of my attention into this story now, and my goal is to finish it up by March (because I'm going to Colorado for a while and not taking my laptop with me) so knock on wood(:**

I'm Not Lily

Waking up with an uncomfortable kink in her neck, Hermione tried to roll over but something was holding her back. Slowly opening her eyes, she was greeted by a mass of pale blonde hair. Remembering everything that happened the day before, Hermione couldn't help but to grin to herself. For an entire day she and Draco were allowed to be free. They didn't have to worry about judgment for an entire day, nor did they have to worry about someone walking in on them and discovering the horrible truth that Gryffindor's golden princess and Slytherin's cold-hearted prince had something going on. Feeling the arms around her tighten as a soft snore tickled her ear, Hermione was just about to elbow Draco to wake him up, but then the bedroom door opened up. Expecting to see Faith or Reid barging in to greet them with a rude awakening, Hermione was surprised to see a pale faced professor staring at her open mouthed.

Widening her eyes in shock, Hermione reached for the blanket to cover herself out of pure instinct. Realizing that she and Draco had fallen asleep on top of the blankets, Hermione silently thanked merlin that she and Draco had also fallen asleep with their clothes on. It didn't help that her dress managed to scrunch up against her waist though, flashing Professor Snape with a glimpse of black laced knickers, but imagine if he had walked in and seen a whole lot more than either of them would have comfortable with. Slamming his palm against his face, Professor Snape scowled at the girl now motioning for him to leave the room. Mouthing that they would have a talk about this, Professor Snape quickly retreated the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Draco…"

"Mmm…" scooting in closer to Hermione, Draco buried his face against her neck.

Feeling her insides start to curl, Hermione foolishly allowed herself to trace Draco's hand with her fingers. "Draco…"

"What, Hermione?"

Thinking back to all those other mornings when she would wake up inside of the Slytherin fifth years' boy dorm, Hermione rolled her eyes at Draco's actions. He never was a morning person. "You need to wake up, Draco."

"Why?"

Glancing over at the clock on the wall, Hermione's eyes widened, "Oh shit, it's twelve in the afternoon. Draco, you really need to wake up!"

"Fine," yawning, Draco slowly untangled himself from the twisted position that he found himself in, and he started to scratch at his hair, "Wow, I haven't slept in for so long."

"Me neither," Hermione admitted. She didn't want to, but she found herself admiring how innocent the blonde looked in the mornings. This was one of the things she missed most about him, seeing the innocence in his face and his eyes before he allowed himself to remember how dark and cruel the world really was. The blonde strands fell into the sleep filled eyes, and faint lines of laughter and sleep cornered Draco's lips. His shirt was ruffled and his hair sort of stuck up messily as well. "Looks like we missed breakfast, and we have just enough time to make it to lunch."

"Right."

Hermione watched as Draco stared at her. They sat only inches apart. The messy bed was proof of what they did last night. They hadn't done anything sinister. They didn't trust themselves to take it that far once again, but they had still allowed themselves to get lost in the past. Draco's eyes stayed glued on her, and Hermione found herself blushing once more. "Listen, Draco…"

"I know," Draco nodded his head. Reaching his hand out so that he could grab onto Hermione's pendent, Draco reached his other hand up and grabbed onto his own, "But now we'll always have the other with us, no matter where we go."

Smiling, Hermione nodded her head as well. Her eyes landed on the very muggle necklace around Draco's neck. "You probably shouldn't let it be seen though. It's a muggle gift, and it'll only create trouble for you."

Tucking the pendent into his shirt, so that only the chain could be seen, Draco grinned, "It'll be just our little secret."

"We've always been good at keeping those," Hermione chuckled.

Leaning forward so that his forehead was pressing against Hermione's, Draco sighed. "I don't regret yesterday."

"Good, because I don't either."

Shutting his eyes when Hermione began to run her hands through his hair, Draco smiled at her, "Today's the last time, love. Once I leave this tower, we can't do this anymore."

"I know," Hermione sighed. "No more secret kisses, no more secret letters, and no more gifts."

"I wish we could. I wish we could just continue doing what we did last year."

"I don't think I'd be able to handle that," Hermione admitted in a soft whisper. "I think that if we continued doing this, I would go mental."

"Me too," the pain was heard in Draco's voice, and his eyes remained shut. "I wouldn't be able to hold you at night then torture you in the day. This year is different, Hermione."

Nodding her head, Hermione allowed her hands to move from Draco's hair to his face. She held his face in place, but allowed her thumbs to caress his cheeks. "At least we'll always have yesterday, and three months out of last year."

"Right," Draco chuckled, "We'll always have our memories," a few silent moments went by. Draco kept his eyes shut while Hermione continued caressing his cheeks and taking in the beautiful sight in front of her. Their foreheads were still pressed against each other's, both of them just allowing their final moments to sink in. "Hermione, I-"

The door opened up once more, but neither teen bothered to move until they heard Reid say, "Oh, sorry. I, erm… Spike told me to get you guys. We need to get Draco out of here before people start to notice that he's missing. And Sweetheart, Harry and Weasley are asking Ginny about you too."

"Okay," reluctantly pulling his head away from Hermione's, Draco looked up at the older brother that he would have to kill. "Thanks."

Nodding his head, Reid turned to leave, but after a moment's hesitation he turned back around. "Listen, Draco, about why I call her Sweetheart. She's a little sister to me, and nothing more. We met that summer in LA when-"

"Reid…"

"No, Sweetheart," Reid shook his head, interrupting Hermione, "I've got to say this. I have to tell him," looking into the broken eyes of his little brother, Reid continued, "We were walking around that day, the other Sons and I, we were looking for something to do when we saw her. Some guy stole her purse and she took her wand out while chasing him to get it back. We stepped in and helped her out. It was on accident that we met her, but I fell in love-"

"Reid…"

"No, Draco, hear me out. I fell in love with her once I heard her utter your name. Here was this strange young witch who I had never met before, and she instantly had _us_ confused in a matter of mere blacked out seconds. I didn't fall in love with her in the same sense that you did though. I took to her like a little sister. It was in that moment that I knew I would protect her no matter what. She became my Sweetheart simply because she was in the wrong place in the right time. She had no idea who I was, or why I looked like you so much, but she just knew that we looked alike."

"Reid…"

"Just let me say this, Sweetheart. Draco, from the minute I met her all she could talk about was you. From the very first time her eyes landed on me, she only thought of you. I watched her grow up that summer, and I could see the struggle in her face as I confided in her the truth of who I was. See, by telling her the truth of my childhood I was also giving her a glimpse into yours. I could see how much it affected her just to know about a humane side to you. She would tell me all that she could about you, and even after she left LA. Even when we weren't together anymore, I would get phone calls, I would get owls, and I would even get pictures."

Seeing Reid reach into his back pocket to pull out his wallet, Hermione rolled her eyes at an amused Draco, "Reid…"

"Shush, Sweetheart," opening the wallet up, Reid continued to stand by the door but he pulled out a picture from his wallet. It was a moving picture, and it showed a fourteen year old Draco laughing at something while wearing a 'Potter Stinks' badge on the front of his robes. "She sent me everything that she could think of, and she continued to tell me everything there was about you. When I got that owl telling me that you two were going out last year, I was against it. I knew that it would only end in heartbreak for both of you, and I guess in a way I knew it would end in heartbreak for me as well. You've always been my little brother, Draco, and you'll always hold that title. But somewhere along the way, she became my Sweetheart. I watch the two of you, and it's like I'm watching another war. And I don't know what side to choose. You're my little brother, but she's my little sister, and I want to protect both of you."

"Reid…"

"I guess that's all I really wanted to say. I just want you to know that I'm not calling her Sweetheart because we have a thing for each other, or because I want to steal her away from you. I call her Sweetheart because that's who she is."

Smirking, Draco climbed out of the bed and started to fix his shirt. "I already know all of this, Reid. Hermione filled me in on everything last night. She told me all about her true summer in LA, and she told me all about her American friends. I also know why Faith calls her Doll Face, and Professor Pratt calls her Scarlet."

"Oh," blushing, Reid began to scratch at the back of his neck while Hermione snickered at him. "Right… well, I'll see you two downstairs then?"

Nodding her head, Hermione also slowly started to climb out of the bed. "Reid," Draco called out when he saw his brother starting to close the door. When Reid looked back at him, Draco blushed as well, "I wish it was different."  
>"Me too," Reid sadly smiled, "Me too."<p>

Once her dress was fixed, and her hair was tied back into a bun, Hermione looked at Draco. His clothing was fixed as well, and he too looked ready to go. "Are you ready?"

"No," closing the few steps between them, Draco pressed his lips to Hermione's and welcomed in the taste of sleep and stale butterbeer. After a minute, he pulled away and chuckled, "I'm still not ready, but we don't really have a choice, do we?"

Pulling Draco's hand into hers, Hermione shook her head, "No, we don't."

Hand in hand, Hermione and Draco made their way down into the common room of the tower. Ginny and Luna were both sitting at a table with Tyler and trying to teach him the difference between a curse and a hex. Faith was leaning against Reid on the couch, and Spike was standing up in a corner and whispering with Oz about something. Everyone stopped what they were doing once they spotted the two teens though. Faith squeezed Reid's hand in a comforting gesture, and Oz gave them a look of remorse. Hermione briefly wondered if he was thinking back to that time when he and Cordelia walked in on Willow and Xander snogging. It had nothing to do with what was happening now, but Hermione knew that Oz had definitely experienced heartbreak with Willow. First she cheated on him with Xander, and then she left him for another girl, and she didn't want him back romantically. Yeah, the look in Oz's face definitely made Hermione wonder if he was remembering his own high school sweetheart.

"Sorry we slept in so late," Hermione announced to the watchful room.

Faith shrugged her shoulders, "It was expected. We would've let you guys go longer, but Spike pointed out that it's sort of suspicious looking."

"Yeah, Harry and Ron's been looking all over for you, Hermione. Lavender made it widely known to all of Gryffindor tower that you didn't sleep in your room last night, so I played it off that you usually always sleep in here," Ginny said.

"Ginny and I refused to give them the password when they asked for it so they could come in here and check on you," added Luna, "But then Harry overhead Crabbe and Goyle saying something about Draco not sleeping in his dorm either."

Hermione paled, "Oh no. Harry's already suspecting me of hiding something. I can see it in the way he watches me carefully now."

"And we see it in the way he watches how you and Draco react with one another," Tyler sighed, pointing between himself and Reid.

Sighing, Draco shook his head, "We're going to have to go back to hating each other, Hermione, especially if Potter thinks that something's going on between us."

"Yeah," Hermione sighed, nodding her head. Looking up at Draco, she forced out a small smile. "It was nice though."

"Even if only for a day, right?"

"Even if only for a day," Hermione nodded her head in agreement.

Releasing Hermione's hand, Draco took in a deep breath and looked around the room, "I know you guys don't like me," his eyes met Spike's when he said that part, "But thanks for allowing us our one day."

"Draco," Ginny called out when she saw Draco walking towards the portrait. She blushed when he turned to look at her, "Can you – can you tell Blaise that I said thanks for the chocolates?"

"And Theo," Luna quickly added, "Can you tell Theo that I said thanks for the chocolates as well?"

Chuckling, Draco nodded his head. "Sure."

"Draco?"

Turning around once more, Draco's eyes met Hermione's and he smiled, "I know, Hermione," he said, already knowing what she was going to say, "But we both knew the consequences."

"I'm sorry."

"Not as sorry as I am."

Once sure that Draco was gone, Hermione announced that she going to shower. Harry and Ron would still be searching for her, but Draco would make himself seen throughout the castle and that was all that mattered. She didn't have to be seen as well. Actually, it would probably just be more suspicious if she was also seen. Ginny and Luna seemed to be anticipating this though, because they both pulled out a bag filled with Hermione's clothes, saying that they figured she would want to wear her own clothes instead of Faith's leather after a moment like this. After a long shower, Hermione quickly got dressed in a pair of brown colored jean shorts and a white and grey striped baby tee. Not bothering with brushing her hair, Hermione tied it up into another bun and then walked downstairs.

"Hullo, Professor," Hermione greeted as she sat next to Oz on the couch.

Scowling at the young witch across from him, Professor Snape said, "Why can't you just leave things alone, Miss Granger? Why must you always make things so difficult?"

Feeling the rage boiling inside of her, Hermione spat out, "Just because Lily didn't forgive you for calling _her_ a Mudblood doesn't mean I shouldn't forgive Draco!"

"Hermione!" Ginny gasped.

Spike's jaw dropped, and Faith started to snicker, but it was Oz who grabbed onto Hermione's hand in a comforting gesture, "Hermione," he told her in a comforting voice, "Severus just doesn't want to see his godson get hurt."

"I get that," Hermione said through clenched teeth, still glaring at the now stunned professor, "But that doesn't mean you get to be such a prat all the time, Professor. I would think that you would be happy for your godson. If everything goes as planned, the slimy Slytherin gets the Gryffindor girl in the end. I'm not daft; I see the way that Ron looks at me. Is that the story that's meant to play out though? Am I supposed to end up with the other Gryffindor just because that's what happened the last time? Should I end up with the git who picks on me endlessly, and makes me feel useless, just because it's expected of us? Would you rather I end up with the bloke that I can't stand, while your godson continues to live out a life full of misery and regret because of one bloody word? I am not Lily Evans, sir, and Draco is not you! I was able to forgive Draco for calling me a Mudblood, and I don't hold petty grudges for years!"

Luna's eyes were wider than usual, and even Tyler looked taken back. "Lily died in the end," Professor Snape finally said. His voice wasn't full of its usual maliciousness or a snarky attitude though. Nor was it filled with regret or pain. He was emotionless and quiet. "She died in the end because of a mistake that _I _made. I know you know the truth of it, Miss Granger, I know that Albus told Potter that much of the story. You all know that I overheard the prophecy and I'm the one who got the Potters killed in the end. Lily did forgive me. You don't know that part, do you? Albus didn't tell his precious little pig that Lily forgave me, and I was to be the godfather of her second child, did he? That's right, Miss Granger, Lily was pregnant when she was killed. She and that blasted husband of hers met up with me and they told me. See, Miss Granger, it doesn't matter that you forgive someone for what they've done to you, because in the end he'll still get you killed! Just like I did! Lily forgave me, just as you forgave Draco, and in the end I still got her killed!"

Hermione's jaw was slack. Reid and Faith both stared at each other in shock. Ginny had her hands covering her mouth, and Luna was frowning. Spike and Oz both remained emotionless. It wasn't until Professor Snape stood up that Hermione shook out of her stupor, "Professor, it doesn't have to be the same way. We can change the ending. Eve's looking for a way to help us out. We might be able to get Mrs. Malfoy out of the manor before they kill her, and then we can get the dark mark off of Draco. It can have a happy ending this time!"

"Lily thought that too," Professor Snape sighed, his eyes starting to mist, "That's why she forgave me. She knew I was the one who told the Dark Lord about the prophecy, and she forgave me for it. She thought we would be okay. She thought she would have a happy ending too."

"But like I said, Professor, I'm not Lily. And Draco's not you. And we will change it this time. I won't marry the Gryffindor prat, and I won't die in the end. And neither will Draco!"

Sighing, Professor Snape shook his head, "You always were an insufferable-know-it-all!"

"I try," Hermione smiled. "I'm sorry for saying what I said, but you needed to hear it. I'm also sorry for what you saw when you entered the room this morning, but I'm not sorry for what I did. It is a shock to learn the truth of me and Draco, but you have to come to terms with it, or else it will haunt you forever."

The professor rolled his eyes, "I'm sure that I'll be able to live if you and Draco do end up together, Miss Granger."

"Then stop looking as if you want to vomit every time it's mentioned. And stop looking into our minds and seeing our memories. Now sit down, and tell us why you came here."

Rolling his eyes as the professor sat down, Spike stepped forward, "Great, now that we all know Scarlet will hit you where it hurts when you offend her, Scarlet, you can tell us what you mean by 'we might be able to get Mrs. Malfoy out of the manor before they kill her'."

"Yeah," Reid nodded his head, "I also want to know what you mean by that."

Seeing that everyone was looking at her for an explanation, Hermione blanched. She hadn't meant for everyone to find out this way. Scowling at Professor Snape for being the reason the truth slipped out before it was meant to, Hermione reluctantly told everyone about her phone call with Eve the night that they returned from their holidays. Explaining to all of them that she didn't want to mention it only because she wasn't sure if Eve would be able to help them out or not, Hermione admitted that she didn't want to bring their hopes up only to have them drop down again.

"Well, that's perfect then," Reid grinned. "If Eve is able to pull through and help us out, we'll be able to get my mom out of the manor and then we don't have to worry about Lucius coming after Draco. Even if we don't get the mark off of Draco in time, my mom will be able to have custody over him until his seventeenth birthday."

"So that's why you're always jumping up and looking for an owl," Ginny smirked, "Very devious of you, Hermione."

"Am I the only one who sees the flaw in the plan?" questioned Tyler.

"No," Oz shook his head, "How are we going to manage to grab her out of there?"

"And Eve said that you only have a short window period?" Faith questioned. When Hermione nodded her head, she sighed, "We'll have to plan this out perfectly then."

"I'll be able to do it," Professor Snape sighed. "That's why I am here actually. It's actually why I was here yesterday, Miss Granger. Oz and I were both discussing something."

Seeing everyone looking at him, Oz grinned, "We're getting another visitor. But we need to make sure that Albus doesn't find out about this one, which means that he can't stay in the castle."

"Who is it?" Hermione curiously asked.

Pulling out a letter from his pocket, Oz continued to grin. Clearing his throat, he began to loudly read, "Oz, so nice to hear from you. Sorry this letter is short, but I don't have much time. You can't believe my shock when I saw an owl tapping at my window. A Horcrux, you say? Yes, I know all about that item. It's a very frightening piece of dark magic. I am currently in Africa helping Xander out with something at the moment, but I'll be returning to London within a week. There are still conflicts going on between me and the Watchers Council, so it wouldn't be smart to have many people knowing about me. I'll send you another owl with a location and time for us to meet. Good to hear that Spike and Faith are doing well also, and I can't wait to see you all again. I'll be seeing you soon, Giles."

"Giles," Hermione grinned, "The Watcher? You mean I really get to meet a Watcher?"

"Yes, Doll Face," Faith chuckled, "You really get to meet a Watcher."

"Although I don't know why you'd want to," Spike scoffed. "Old Rupert is a bit of a bore. He goes on about books more than Madam Pince does."

Chuckling, Oz folded the letter and put it back into his pocket, "That isn't all – Severus, tell them your news."

"I wasn't being sarcastic when I referred to Potter as Albus's pig," Professor Snape spat out bitterly, "It seems that Albus is precise in his manipulation, and he knows how to get others to do things for him. In the beginning it was important that no one knows I am unfaithful to the Dark Lord, but seeing as how you and your insufferable group of misfits are hell-bent on solving everything on your own, I have decided that it is no longer important to follow Albus's instructions. I have already defied him by keeping your truth from him, and I will continue to defy him. However, I will still see Draco through his task, but when the moment comes that my alliance must be shown I will choose your side."

"Wow," Ginny said in awe, "I don't know what to say."

"Neither do I," Hermione was also in awe at the words from her professor. "Thank you Professor."

Nodding his head, Professor Snape stood up, "I must go now, before Minerva or Albus start to question my disappearance. Spike will inform me with whatever I have missed."

"Actually," Hermione stood up as well, feeling her stomach rumbling, "I'm hungry."

"Lunch is over already," Spike reminded her.

Groaning, Hermione sat back down. "Fine, I'll hold out until dinner. So what exactly did I miss?"

Ginny and Luna immediately began to fill Hermione in on their not actual dates with Blaise and Theo that involved staring at each other from across the Three Broomsticks and magically making chocolate boxes appear in front of each other. Tyler told Hermione that Monday morning would be filled with Pansy getting into a fight with the Slytherins because of her relationship with Tyler – making it known that Pansy ends up choosing to hang out with Tyler and his group of friends – and Hermione groaned at that. Now she would have to defend Pansy against Harry and Ron.

"We can do it," Luna said defiantly.

"I'm not worried about that," Hermione stated with a smile, "It's just that I was starting to get used to the idea of Ron not trying to kill me every time he looks at me."

Ginny had a worried look on her face though, and while biting her lip she stared at Spike, "But what does this mean? Pansy isn't going to be allowed anywhere near the Slytherins now. Her own house is going to isolate her. Granted, she can lie to her father and pretend that she's only pretending to get closer to all of us so it's not obvious that she's bringing Tyler over to the Death Eaters, but now she's going to be forced to spend all of her free time with us. So what does that mean for us?"

"We actually talked about that," Faith said, pointing between all of the adults and the Sons in the room, "We all decided that we tell Pansy the truth about everything. That is, if you guys agree to it."

Hermione started to absentmindedly twiddle her thumbs, "It sounds like the only option we have, but I don't think she's all that good at shielding her mind. What if her father finds out the truth about everything?"

"Pansy turns seventeen in April," Tyler shook his head. "There's no way he'll be able to see her between now and then. And once she turns seventeen she's a legal adult in the wizarding world, and she doesn't have to go home to her father at all."

Ginny and Luna both gasped, "But then she'll be disowned. A pureblooded witch doesn't know how to live without the inheritance of her family. Our family's name is all we have."

"She's tired of just being a Death Eater's daughter," Tyler informed them, "She was telling me all about it yesterday. That's why I discussed this with the others last night. On Pansy's seventeenth birthday her father is going to bid her off to some Death Eater as a bride. She doesn't know how to get out of it, but I know she wants to. If we tell her the truth about everything, we'll be able to protect her. I can take care of her."

Ginny's eyes were still wide as she stared at the boy she took to the closest, "Ty, think really hard about this. I understand you want to do this now, but think about Pansy too. Speaking as a pureblooded witch, I know what I'm saying when I tell you that it'll be too hard for her to do. Granted, you'll take care of her now, and we'll all work extremely hard to protect her from her father and the other Death Eaters, but if something were to happen to the two of you – if it doesn't work out between you – she'll be so lost. We literally only have our inheritance and our family name. And the Parkinsons are one of the real old school wizarding families, meaning Pansy only knows how to take orders. Her giving that up, even if it is saving her life, will be just like you giving up your powers."

Luna nodded her head in agreement to everything that Ginny just said, "Think about this really hard, Tyler. We all support you in whatever you choose to do; we'll even help you explain it all to Pansy, but think about it before you do anything. Pansy turning her back on her friends for a while, or lying to her father about trying to convert you to dark side, is nothing compared to giving up her family. Even if it is helping her and saving her life, it's the only life she knows. I don't think even I would be able to do something as serious as that."

"I'm confident," Tyler said, nodding his head and squeezing both girls' hands in a friendly gesture, "I get what you're both saying, but after listening to her yesterday, I know this is the right decision to make. You guys don't know what it's like to grow up with a Death Eater father. If you guys feel sorry for what Draco has to live with, imagine being a female with that lifestyle. We can all explain it to her. I'll bring her in here tomorrow after classes, and we can all tell her the truth about everything."

"Severus even offered to brew a potion that Pansy can drink if she admits she won't be able to keep the secret afterwards," Oz told them. "It's a safe potion, and there are no side effects. She just won't remember anything we told her."

"We'll tell her the truth about everything, then we'll see what she has to say about it," Faith nodded her head in agreement. "We can handle everything from them on as it happens."

"So what do you guys think?" Reid asked. "It's not just our secret to tell. We won't do anything unless you agree to it."

"And Professor Snape is okay with this?" Luna questioned.

Spike nodded his head, "Yep."

"And you," Hermione turned to look at Tyler, "You really want to do this, Tyler?"

Tyler nodded his head, "Yeah, I do."

"Alright," the three witches all said at once. Smiling, they all glanced at each other, "Looks like we're going to add Pansy to our group now."

**This is why I usually try not to write for my 'in-progress' stories when something is bothering me. I'm sick with the flu right now, and have somehow managed to turn this chapter into a sort of sappy thing. I read somewhere that JK confessed that Lily was pregnant in an interview. She said that Lily was pregnant with her second child, and that she had just managed to convince James to forgive Snape and ask him to be the godfather. So that's what I played with. I also really love the idea of Dramione being a 'happier' version of Snily(: it would have been a longer chapter, but the scene that my mind was taking me to right now wouldn't have worked in with the rest of the story (how I'm originally planning on it playing out) and I would have been screwed once I'm in my right mind. At least this works into what I'm planning(:**

**So what did you guys think of this chapter? What do you guys think about Tyler and Pansy, or about Pansy learning the truth about everything? What about Snape and Hermione's confrontation? Draco and Hermione's goodbye? Harry only getting more suspicious about everything going on? Giles meeting up with them? They're so close to learning the truth about Horcruxes… **


	21. A Pug-Nosed Partner

**Yay! An actual chapter! So I'm back from Wyoming(: and when I came back I saw that my brother had been kind enough to leave his laptop at my house for me. He works from 6 in the morning to 8 at night, Monday-Friday, and he has a phone that plays Netflix for him so he doesn't need a laptop. So Yayyyyyyyyyyy! And the McDonalds by my house has free wifi. Haha, so I'm literally gonna be walking (it's a minute walk) to McDonalds to help me upload until I'm able to buy my own internet, which won't be until September sometime.**

A Pug-Nosed Partner

"Hermione! Hermione!"

Groaning as she bit into her forkful of scrambled eggs, Hermione looked up just in time to see Harry and Ron running straight for her. "It's too early to deal with them now."

Chuckling, Ginny shrugged her shoulders, "If you returned back to the Gryffindor towers last night you could have dealt with them then. Now you must suffer the consequences."

"Hermione!" Harry gasped out, noticing the quick scowl that Hermione gave the smirking Ginny. "Where were you yesterday? Lavender said that you didn't sleep in your room at all last night, and Ginny and Luna wouldn't give us the password to get into Tyler's tower, and Professor Pratt said that you were sleeping all day, and we didn't see you at all last night either."

"Well I was sleeping in Faith's tower all day," Hermione calmly replied, not understanding why Harry and Ron were still questioning her if Spike had already filled them in on a story. "I drank too many butterbeers the night before, and I had a terrible headache. I stayed in one of the guest rooms, and as for Ginny and Luna not giving you the password – William doesn't exactly want everyone knowing it."

"But we're not everyone, are we?" Ron said dramatically. "We're your best mates."

"Sorry," Hermione shrugged her shoulders, "No one can know the password. So how was your day?"

Harry and Ron both stared at her, causing Hermione to shift uncomfortably in her seat. Ron looked at her as if trying to figure out what she was trying to hide from him, and Harry stared at Hermione as if he already knew what she was trying to hide. "I didn't get anywhere," Harry finally said, sitting next to Hermione.

Ron sat across from them both, looking aroud and sighing in relief when he didn't see Lavender anywhere in the Great Hall. "How did your date go, Hermione?"

Kicking Ginny underneath the table when she started to snicker, Hermione made sure not to glance across towards the Slytherins. Ron probably wouldn't have noticed anything at all, but it seemed like Harry had been getting better at paying attention to things that he normally would have been naïve to before. "It was fine," she said. "So, Harry, what do you mean you didn't get anywhere?"

"Slughorn slammed the classroom door in my face before I could even greet him. I ended up staying in the library going over McGonagall's homework with Neville," he looked distraught at the idea of not getting anywhere with the Horcruxes.

Ron shoved toast into his mouth, "So what did you do on your date, Hermione? Who was your date with? I didn't see you anywhere in Hogsmeade after…"

Tuning Ron out, Hermione felt Ginny bump her leg underneath the table. "What is it?" she asked.

Nudging her head towards the Slytherin table, Ginny whispered, "Looks like it's starting now."

Turning around to see what Ginny was talking about, Hermione saw that everyone else in the Great Hall had stopped what they were doing to watch the scene as well. Pansy was flying her arms over her head in a very obvious argument with her usual group of friends. Draco said something harshly, and Pansy's hand connected to his cheek with a loud sound that echoed throughout the Great Hall. "I wonder what that's all about," Harry muttered in confusion.

Seeing the darkness flash in Draco's eyes, Hermione could also see the bright handprint that Pansy had created on his cheek. "Didn't you hear?" Ginny said to Harry, not taking her eyes off of the scene across from them. "Parkinson and Tyler are dating now. I guess Malfoy doesn't approve."

McGonagall and Snape were both running to the Slytherin table to prevent everyone from killing Pansy. Hermione would have jumped up as well if it weren't for Ginny's hand holding her down. "What?" Ron turned to his sister, "Why is Tyler dating Parkinson? It seems a bit suspicious, don't it?"

Hermione didn't hear Ginny's reply because Pansy was soon running towards the Gryffindor table. She had her face hidden in her hands, trying to hide the tears caused by being thrown out from her group of friends. "Granger!" Pansy cried loudly, "Where's Tyler?"

"He's in the tower still," Hermione said, making sure that a few lingering Ravenclaws could hear her. "I-I could take you to him?" she had to pretend she was still slightly frightened by the crying girl in front of her. Hermione knew that she had to show a little sympathy, some fear, and some hatred still yet. People would know something was wrong if Hermione instantly pulled the crying girl into her arms and comforted her.

Pansy nodded her head, still crying into her hands, "Oh, this is horrible. Dra-Draco said that I'm a traitor! He's turned everyone against me."

Ginny and Hermione both shared nervous glances. They could see the wheels turning in Harry's head. "I-I'm sure everything will be okay, Parkinson," Ginny ended up saying slowly, sounding unsure of herself.

Ron's eyes narrowed, "Oi, get away from our table, Parkinson! We don't want you here!"

Scowling at Ron for being so insensitive, Hermione jumped up and reached forward to pat Pansy's back but quickly moved it away; thinking better. "Come, Parkinson," she told the crying girl who still confused her. "I'll take you to Tyler."

"Hermione…" Ron whined.

Narrowing her eyes at the boy in a McGonagall fashion, Hermione grabbed her things off the table, "I'll see you both in class."

"Hermione, maybe I should go with you," Harry said, slowly starting to stand. His eyes shifted towards the crying girl who ignored everything happening around her, "She's still a Slytherin."

Ginny quickly jumped up, grabbing her own things as well, "I'll go. I need to ask Reid something anyway. Come on Parkinson."

Hermione and Ginny both stood on Pansy's sides, sandwiching her between them. They knew that she wouldn't have a problem with them placing a comforting arm around her, but Hogwarts seemed to have eyes everywhere. If someone saw Pansy Parkinson allowing a Mudblood or blood traitor to touch her skin, everything would be blown. Plus the two girls couldn't show that they were comfortable around Pansy, they had to still act as if they were walking on eggshells. Hermione was just glad that the Marauder's Map and Harry's invisibility cloak were still in Spike's tower.

"Where's Faith?" Pansy asked quietly, still keeping her hands over her face. Her tears were real as the realization hit her that she now had to keep her distance from her best friends, but the loud sobbing had all just been part of her annoying-obnoxious act.

"In the tower," Ginny replied softly, looking to make sure no one could hear them. "She's waiting with the others for us. Luna's there too."

"I saw Professor Pratt get up and leave," Pansy noted.

Hermione nodded her head, "He's going to meet us in the tower as well. We'll explain it inside," she added when Pansy peered at her in confusion from between her fingers.

Giving Pansy the password as they reached the portrait, Ginny and Hermione pulled her in. Pansy instantly ran straight to Tyler, burying her face in his chest. Hermione felt sorry for the girl – she turned her back on her friends and family. The only people she had now were the ones in that very tower, and Hermione made a silent vow to protect her at all costs. Pansy gave up _everything_ for one of the boys that Hermione loved dearly, so she would make sure to help Pansy with anything she needed. She would see to it that Pansy didn't regret the choice she made.

After a quick explanation to everyone about the scene in the Great Hall, Pansy explained that she and the boys had planned their fight the night before, but that she would have to find some way to apologize to Draco later. The slap was apparently thought of on the spot when he loudly called her a blood-traitor-whore! Everyone in the room agreed that the slap was deserved, and it took Spike to keep Tyler from hunting Draco down to kill him. Pansy shuddered when she saw his eyes slowly start to darken, but with one touch of her hand she managed to calm him down quickly.

"We have something to tell you," Hermione finally said when she noticed that everyone was waiting for her to start the discussion. "But before we explain it to you, you have an option."

Pansy sat on the couch across from Hermione, looking at her in confusion. Her face was still red from crying, but she rested her head on Tyler's shoulder. Luna sat on Tyler's side, while Ginny and Oz sat next to each other on a separate couch. Reid and Faith sat on the floor, and Hermione sat on one of the couch chairs, with Spike sitting on the armrest. "What is it?" Pansy asked, wiping her tears away.

"What we're about to tell you must never be revealed," Tyler told his brokenhearted girlfriend. "There's a potion – it's safe, but it'll erase specifically everything we've told you. Once we tell you everything you'll have the option to drink it."

"If you think that you won't be able to keep it a secret, we'll give you the potion," Faith said seriously.

Pansy took in the serious looks on everyone's faces. She could see that they meant what they were telling her. "And I can't tell Draco?"

"Especially not Draco," Hermione shook her head.

Sighing, Pansy nodded her head, "Alright then. What's the secret?"

"What have you heard about us?" Reid asked. "What do you know about us – about why we're truly here?"

"Only what Dumbledore told all of us, and what Draco told our own little group," Pansy shrugged her shoulders. "I know that you and Tyler are two-fourths of the Sons of Ipswich, and I know that Faith is the rogue slayer who turned good. I know that Professor Pratt-"

Spike growled, "Bloody hell, we aren't in the classroom. My bloody name is _Spike_!"

"Sorry," Pansy blushed. Lily and Ginny giggled while everyone else snorted. "Erm… I know that _Spike_ has somehow become one of the good guys, and I know that Oz is a friend of Faith's and Spike's from Sunnydale. He used to be one of the guys that helped Faith and the other slayer keep the town safe, and he came to London for a concert with his band, but decided to stay back and check in on Faith and Spike. He thinks the whole magic thing is cool, so he's asked to stay for a while. I hear that Dumbledore is even thinking of asking him to help teach Muggle Studies."

Oz chuckled, "He asked, and I declined. I'm not exactly teaching material."

"Yeah," Spike scoffed, "And I am!"

Oz shrugged his shoulders, and Tyler looked down at his girlfriend. "Do you know how we met Hermione?"

"She was in LA the summer after third year, and she had some sort of stalker or something. She randomly bumped into you four Sons while looking for Angelus to help her. Then you all became really close when Reid discovered she was a witch at Hogwarts, and she learned he was Draco's older brother. Erm… then I know that Lucius tried killing her, and you all sort of fought against him or something. And you've obviously all kept in really close touch."

Looking up at the wall, Spike sighed, "Classes are starting."

"We'll skip it," Reid told Spike, settling in more comfortably on the floor. "We can just tell the other professors that we were all comforting Pansy or something."

Ginny nodded her head in agreement, "They all saw the argument, so they'll believe it."

"Very well, I'll tell Severus that you're filling Pansy in on everything right now."

Pansy gasped, "Professor Snape's involved?"

Faith smirked, "He's part of the secret, love."

"It's a long secret," Hermione sighed, rubbing her forehead. "So get comfortable. This will take until after lunch, probably. It all starts with a bloody prophecy fourteen years ago."

They told Pansy everything. They told her about the prophecy that was created about Harry, they told her about the Secret Keeper switch, and about Harry's home life with the Dursleys. They told her all about the golden trio's adventures since first meeting on the train, and they told her about what Hermione learned in LA. They filled her in on Lorne, Angel, Cordelia, Caleb, Pogue, and even Sarah and Kate. Pansy soon learned about Buffy, and about the truth of Oz and why he's truly in London. Hermione got teary eyed as she explained everything there was to know about Lindsey, and this mysterious Eve, and Pansy cried as she listened to everything.

"And you're all working in secret to save Draco?" she asked in awe.

Faith nodded her head, "He doesn't know that though."

"He knows some of it," Hermione said softly. "He knows that we want to save him, but he doesn't know how much people are involved, and how much we've been working behind his back."

"And you guys don't trust Dumbledore?"

Tyler snorted, "Are you kidding me? I don't even trust Harry Potter! It's better that we do this on our own. We've got enough people on our team, and we've got people in other countries that are trying to help us too."

"And Giles has information about the Horcrux for us."

"That does sound familiar," Pansy said, biting on her bottom lip. "I know I heard that before. But it isn't anything good. And I know there's more than one."

Everyone groaned, "We were hoping we were wrong," Reid muttered in annoyance.

"I remember hearing Father complaining about it once. He didn't understand why the Dark Lord would trust someone as incompetent as Lucius Malfoy with protecting it. And I remember overhearing Bellatrix Lestrange boasting once about how the Dark Lord trusted her enough to place it into her vault!"

Ginny suddenly gasped loudly, and Hermione's eyes widened. "What did you just say?"

"Yes, I know, it's nauseating, but Bellatrix has one inside-"

"No," Luna shook her head anxiously, "About Mr. Malfoy. You said that Mr. Malfoy is protecting one?"

Pansy nodded her head, "Yes. I don't know what it is though, but I know that he keeps it in the library in his manor. I remember because my father thought only a fool would hide something in such plain sight."

"No… no… no… no… no…" Ginny started to frantically shake her head. Oz wrapped his arms around the young girl, confused by her sudden fear. Faith frowned in confusion, and Hermione's eyes remained wide. Ginny looked up at her with tears in her eyes, "Hermione… no… please, Merlin, tell me it's not…"

Hermione shook her head, "I-I – I don't know, Gin. I'm sorry – I think it is though."

Ginny released a loud wail and she turned to Oz so she could hide her face in his shoulders. "What just happened?" Tyler asked, pulling away from Pansy so he could lean forward. "Is Ginny okay?"

"No," Luna said sadly, staring across at her first best friend, "She's not."

Seeing that Hermione didn't know what to do, Oz stood up and pulled Ginny up with him. "Come on, Gin," he said soothingly, "Let's go up to my room. I know a fun trick to make you calm down."

"Thanks Oz."

Oz nodded his head at Hermione, and softly said, "I'll be listening, but she won't hear a thing."

Hermione waited until Ginny was out of sight, then she sighed and turned to face everyone once more. "Do you remember our second year, Pansy?"

Pansy nodded her head, "Yes, the Chamber of Secrets had been opened and someone was petrifying all the students. You, Potter, and Weasley saved everyone once again… even though you were petrified for a while."

"Yes, well, what Dumbledore didn't announce to everyone was the name of the person that had been behind the attacks."

Faith stared at Hermione in confusion, "Yeah, and you sort of skipped that story today when telling Pansy the truth about everything."

"Do you remember the story I told you back in LA?" Hermione asked, "Any of you?"

Tyler gasped and turned to stare at a pale faced Reid. Pansy and Faith both watched them in confusion. Tyler's eyes widened, and Hermione could see him remembering the very first time they met and the next day.

_"I'm Tyler Simms."_

_ "Nice to meet you," Hermione grinned, shaking his hand. Then turning back to the blonde who was still staring at her, Hermione felt her cheeks heating up as she remembered snuggling in closer against his chest just moments before. "Sorry about freaking out like that."_

_ "It's alright," he shrugged his shoulders, holding out the tiny black colored purse that she only now just noticed in his hand. "It's understandable; Malfoys aren't very well liked in the wizarding world."_

_ "Thanks," Hermione muttered, taking her purse from him and pulling the strap over her shoulder. "And that's an understatement. Malfoys are the world's evilest gits. Well aside from Voldemort at least, but they're just as terrible – I mean they do work for the bloke. And they do make sure to take the time to make my life hell just because I'm a muggle-born, but that doesn't mean Lucius had to go and try to kill Ginny just because of it – what the bloody hell was he thinking giving her that diary? I'm glad that Harry set Dobby free after that, and that look on Malfoy's face was priceless when I slapped him; it felt good too, after being called a Mudblood by him for so long…" realizing that she was rambling on, Hermione looked up and saw they were all just staring at her. Blushing once again, Hermione flew her hands to her mouth, "Sorry. I have a tendency to ramble on. My best friends Harry and Ron are always telling me I should just be quiet sometimes."_

…

_ Reid sighed. He always knew that Draco would end up in Slytherin. It was in the Malfoy and Black blood after all… especially with Lucius as his father. It seemed almost inevitable that Draco would be just as evil. But hearing it was different than thinking it; hearing it sickened him. "Yesterday," Reid's voice was low. He didn't want to know, but he had to know. He had to know everything. He needed to know everything. Some part of him did want to know everything. It wasn't his world anymore, but he still cared, "Yesterday you said that Lucius Malfoy almost killed a girl named Ginny?"_

_ "Ginny Weasley, Ron's little sister," Hermione grimly stated. Her voice was just as low as Reid's, showing this was something she didn't want to address either. "He snuck Tom Riddle's diary into her cauldron over the summer holiday-"_

_ "Tom Riddle…" Reid was tapping the table with his fingers, thinking hard. Tom Riddle? He knew that name from somewhere. Where did he know it from?_

_ "Voldemort," Hermione verified, "It's his real name."_

_ "How is giving the old diary of the Dark Lord almost killing a girl?" Tyler was interested, but confused._

_ "Ginny was eleven at the time. It was her first year at Hogwarts, and our second. The diary is blank, so Ginny started writing in it. The spirit of Tom Riddle was living inside the diary and it possessed her. He forced her to open up the chamber of secrets and release a giant basilisk into the school."_

_ "Your school was infested with a giant snake?"_

_ "It kills muggle-borns," Hermione nodded her head. "It actually killed a girl back in 1943 when Tom Riddle first opened the chambers. She haunts the loo now that the chamber is in; we call her Moaning Myrtle."  
>"Was anyone killed this time?" Reid asked.<em>

_ "No, thankfully not, although a lot of us were petrified by it."_

_ "Us?"_

_ "Yes, I was petrified as well. Luckily for everyone though, I was able to figure out where the chamber was and how to avoid being killed right before I was. Harry was able to open the chamber and rescue Ginny. If he went in only five minutes later, Ginny would have already been dead. He killed the basilisk and destroyed the diary. Everyone who was petrified was revived within a week after that."_

_ "And that all happened because Lucius slipped the diary into Ginny's cauldron?" Hermione looked closer at Reid. He was sweating and he was paler than when she first met him. He reminded her right now of how petrified Malfoy looked when she held the wand up to his neck right before slapping him. "You look so much like him."_

"The diary that Lucius slipped to Ginny," Reid said in a soft voice. Faith tensed as she finally remembered the story of that diary as well. "The diary that held the spirit of Tom Riddle in it, when it possessed her – that was the Horcrux!"

Faith's face fell, and she turned to stare at Hermione in fear, "If that's true – if the diary that Lucius slipped to Ginny was a Horcrux then…"

Hermione nodded her head soberly, "Then Voldemort had somehow managed to keep his soul in pieces of objects… and there's more than one."

Pansy's jaw dropped, "You mean to tell me that-?"

"Yes," Luna said solemnly. She had lost her dreamy attitude once again, something she did only when she was truly afraid, "Voldemort had possessed Ginny in our first year, and she was the one who had opened the Chamber of Secrets, releasing the basilisk. And it all happened because Lucius Malfoy slipped her a diary."

Pansy paled. She had lost all color in her body. She stared from one person to another, looking back and forth between them all. Finally she said, "I'll keep this all a secret. I want to help. I might know things that Snape hadn't filled you in on yet. And unlike Snape, I'm not a Death Eater. Get out a piece of parchment and a quill; write these names down."

"Are you – are you serious?" Faith asked. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Pansy nodded her head. "That's one of the 'joys' of being a Death Eater's _daughter_ – you're not forced to take the mark, but you're forced to sit through the lessons and learn the names of all the Death Eaters. Father planned on having me marry one of them, so he made sure I knew the proper etiquette of serving my future Death Eater husband. I want Marcus Flint to be the first name on the bloody list!"

It took only five minutes. Within only five minutes Pansy had named all of the Death Eaters that the group had been trying to figure out. They had the gist of who they suspected, mostly because of the letter from Lindsey that told them the senior Death Eaters, but now they had actual names. Now they had actual names of the people they needed to keep an eye on, and make sure they kept away from Draco as much as possible. Tyler sat next to Pansy the entire time, keeping one arm around her as she decided to betray the people she had grown up with. They could all see the fierceness in her eyes as she practically shouted the names at Luna as she wrote them down.

"What can we do this information now that we actually have it?" Oz asked as he reentered the area they were all sitting in.

Hermione lifted her head, "Where's Ginny?"

"When Willow's powers used to become too much for her to handle, I would sometimes lay her down on a bed or a couch and then I'd tell her to clear her mind. She taught me this neat little spell that would put her right to sleep. And it's handy because even _I_ make it work. I used it on Ginny, and she's sleeping right now. Tyler, she's in your room."

Tyler nodded his head, "I figured. She always ends up in my room. But will she be alright?"

"Yeah. Willow gave me this one stone to place under my pillow for the nights that I can't sleep. I placed it under the pillow Ginny's using, and it'll make sure that she gets at least six hours of sleep without any nightmares or dreams," Oz said. Sitting back on the couch that he and Ginny were sitting on earlier, he looked back at Hermione.

Faith cocked an eyebrow as she stared across at Oz. She could see the stress on his face, and the worry in his eyes. She could also see the way his jaw was clenching. "We can go out into the Forbidden Forest tonight, Oz. You can slay then."

Oz chuckled, "Since when did you get so good at reading me, Faith? I remember when I used to be the only one in the Scooby club that not even Angel o Buffy could read."

"Since you decided to take it upon yourself to protect everyone here," Faith told him. Hermione could see the look in both of their faces. They were once old friends, then enemies, and now friends again. They fought together for the same team when they were both still only sixteen-seventeen years old. They had been doing this for such a long time, and Hermione could see the weariness in their faces. "This isn't Sunnydale, Oz. We won't lose anyone this time."

Oz shook his head. He had no laughter in his face, "It's always Sunnydale, Faith. No matter where we go, it'll always be Sunnydale. We know the truth, and we can't escape it. The people are different, but it's still the same plot. Give Hermione blonde hair, and she's Buffy. Give Luna short black hair, a mustache, and a deep voice, and she's Xander. If Ginny were a lesbian she'd be Willow, and Pansy is Cordelia to the tee. Then you got yourself, Spike, and me – we're still all the same people trying to fight the good fight. Then you've got Draco, who is very obviously Angel back when he still lived in Sunnydale and stalked Buffy. Then you've got Blaise, Theo, Reid, and Tyler – four more important members to our messed up group, who are on our side. It's still the same. A prophecy is involved, we're living on a magical hotspot, Buffy and Angel are meant to be together, Buffy killed Angel, Angel killed Buffy, people were killed, and people were saved. It's the same thing as being back in Sunnydale."

"But we're older now, Oz," Faith told him. She looked up at Oz as if he were the only person she could see, and Hermione could see the frustration in Oz's face as he stared back. "We're older, and we're wiser. We won't lose Joyce this time, and we won't lose Anya, or that Jesse kid, or Miss Calender, or Tara, or anyone else. I won't torture Wes, and Riley won't turn his back on us. We know what to do differently this time. You'll see that it'll be better. _We'll _make it better."

Dropping his face into his hands, Oz sighed loudly and rubbed at his face with both of his hands. "We don't have much time," Pansy finally said, not liking how eerily silent everything had gone. "The Dark Lord gave Draco a mission that he needs to complete before the end of this year. If he fails it, Narcissa will be killed."

Oz's head snapped up when he heard what Pansy had said. "Holy shit!" Faith's jaw dropped. Hermione stared so deeply at Pansy that she was surprised her eyes hadn't imprinted into the other girl's face.

Reid was grinning from ear to ear. Staring up at the girl that he had known from before he was tossed into Ipswich, he could have sworn that everything in the room got brighter around Pansy. "Oh please tell me that my idiot little brother vented to you about his mission!"

Pansy slowly nodded her head. Frightened by the way everyone was staring at her, she leaned in against Tyler. "Erm… yes?"

Hermione started to laugh loudly. Flying her hands to her mouth when she started to snort, Hermione continued to laugh out loud. Luna was soon laughing along with her, and within seconds Oz, Faith, Reid, and Tyler were all laughing loudly as well. Pansy was slightly frightened by everything going on around her, but the others in the room were all celebrating. It was working out now. Now that Pansy was on their side, and now that Pansy was involved with their secret work, things were getting better for them. They had inside information that Snape didn't have, they had inside information that Snape wouldn't give them, and they could start working hard now.

They couldn't do much before with the little they knew, but now they could get started. Hermione felt better. Her stomach was twisting in all sorts of awkward positions, and she knew that something horrible was going to happen, but she ignored that eerie feeling. Pansy would tell them what Draco's task was, and they would be able to keep Draco from killing whoever he was sent after.

Things would be better now.

…

_**Take a breath,**_

_**Take it deep.**_

_**"Calm yourself," he says to me.**_

_**If you play you for keeps.**_

_**Take the gun and count to three.**_

_**I'm sweating now, moving slow;**_

_**No time to think, my turn to go**_

_ There were people wearing black cloaks and silver colored masks. One of them was a woman. Her aura was blacker than black. Everything around her was dark, slowly withering in the presence of the death she carried around with her. She was the smallest of them all, but it was her who barked out the orders. The others feared her, all rushing to please her because they knew what would happen if they didn't._

_ There was another one of them. He was small as well, possible smaller than even the dark woman. He had no aura. He had no future. Everything around him was blank. There was something there protecting him, something around him that tried to keep the others from reaching too deep to him. He wore the black cloak like the others, clinging to the only other one with pale hair sticking out from a silver mask. His mask wasn't silver though, his mask looked like woven gold. He was different from the rest. There was a tiny spot on the golden mask, a speck that not even their master had noticed – a tiny little lion carved into a spot below his left eye. The lion was created with blood. It was created with the blood of his protector._

_**And you can see my heart;**_

_**You can see it through my chest.**_

_**Said I'm terrified, but I'm not leaving.**_

_**I know that I must pass this test,**_

_**So just pull the trigger**_

_ There were two people in the room. The younger one didn't notice the third person hiding beneath the stairs. He didn't know that there was a witness to the curse that was being forced upon him. The younger one was crying. He lowered his wand because he couldn't do it. He was pleading with the older one – he wanted help. He wanted to get out of the life that had been thrust upon him. The older one laughed at him. The older one told him that him being saved wasn't part of the plan._

_ A fourth person ran up into the tower. The young one pleaded with her to leave, but the older one gasped in fear. He had never known true fear until that moment. She sneered at him. Familiar eyes stared back at him, but they were attached to a young girl that he realized he didn't know. He could see it in her dead eyes – she had played him the way he played all of them. Her wand was directed in his face, and he opened his mouth to plead with her. She knew him for the manipulative coward he truly was, and she had always known. He heard footsteps approaching them now._

_ The curse left her mouth before his mind could even process that he was betrayed by the one person he underestimated._

_**Say a prayer to yourself.**_

_**He says, "Close your eyes, sometimes it helps,"**_

_**And then I get a scary thought:**_

_**That he's here means he never lost.**_

_ They were on the run. People were hunting for them, and she was no longer the person she once was. She had been forced to grow up. She turned on the ones that had been depending on her. She sent the people she loved away, and she became something new. She was fierce now. She was a warrior. Her hair was ragged, her skin was filthy, and she could feel her insides turning as black as the enemies she tried to bring down._

_ There were hundreds of people surrounding her, but she saw none of them._

_ She was alone because her mind was starting to disappear._

_**And you can see my heart;**_

_**You can see it through my chest.**_

_**Said I'm terrified, but I'm not leaving.**_

_**I know that I must pass this test,**_

_**So just pull the trigger**_

_ There was a girl. Her hair was matted, and her eyes were bloodshot. She dressed in rags, and her body was scarred. She was fighting. A woman – the dark woman – had her pinned to a wall, and there were people screaming all around them. Flames from a fire were starting to taste their flesh, and broken glass shattered beneath their bare feet. She could taste blood in her mouth; both fresh and days old. The scent of burnt flesh and blood filled her nostrils._

_ The woman wanted an answer, but she refused to speak. _

_**As my life flashes before my eyes,**_

_**I'm wondering will I ever see another sunrise.**_

_**So many won't get the chance to say goodbye,**_

_**But it's too late to think of the value of my life**_

_ The girl was crying. She was chained now. Her wrists and her feet were started to show bones from the way the heavy metal dug through her flesh. She was starving, and she was thirsty. It had been weeks since she slept last. The rags had started to slip from her body from all the weight she lost. Her color had started to bruise, and her hair hung messily like Sirius Black's had once done. She was covered in her own filth, and the blood taste had disappeared days ago._

_ She had been offered the promise of release, but she still refused to speak. Eyes haunted her – blue, green, black, brown, golden, amber, red, doe-like, cat-shaped, shut, open… they all watched her from the hidden corners of her mind. Voices called out to her, but she shut them all out._

_ "I'm sorry."_

_ Her head snapped up, and she found herself staring at the person she had given up her own life for. A set of eyes stared back at her – the only eyes that hadn't haunted her mind, because she saw them die every day. _

_ Silver eyes stared deep into the toffee brown._

"Lorne!"

Jerking awake when he felt someone shaking him, the green demon blinked his eyes rapidly. "Gunn?"

The dark colored young man nodded his head. He held a spear in one hand, and a crossbow in the other. He was dressed in camo. "Did you dream about her again?" Gunn questioned. "That young witch girl?"

Sighing, Lorne rubbed at his shaved red horns. He could feel that his face was drenched in sweat. "She's in trouble," he finally said.

**I admit – the beginning was a bit slow, and I didn't really know how to add Pansy into the group. It had been a year and a half since I first thought out the plot to this story, and so long since I actually wrote for it, so I went slow for a while. But what do you guys think of it? **

**Do you guys like it? Do you like my return? Do you like that Pansy is now actually going to be helping them out? The way they found out about Horcruxes? What about the last part of the chapter? Lorne? Gunn? Bringing back flashes from AWILA? Hmm… please give me feedback; it had been so long that I want to know if you guys still love this story or if you're just over it already! **

**I'm just so excited to finally be back to you guys!(:**


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